Comparison of results obtained by x‐ray fluorescence of the total soil and the atomic absorption spectrometry assay of an acid digest in the routine determination of lead and zinc in soils

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Abstract
The routine determiniation of lead and zinc in soil by atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) of a hot aqua regia extract and by X‐ray fluorescence (XRFS) spectrometry of the powdered soil is described and the results obtained by the two techniques compared. A strong positive correlation was found between the concentration for both elements obtained by the two methods. Generally, assaying by XRFS gave higher soil lead and zinc concentrations than that determined by AAS assay of an acid extract. However, extraction by aqua regia followed by AAS provides a satisfactory method for determining the lead and zinc concentrations in soil as a routine procedure.