Abstract
Four exchangeable cations (Ca, Mg, Na and K) were determined in aqueous and alcoholic NH4Cl soil extracts using ICPES. Instrument parameters used for aqueous extracts were unsuitable for alcoholic solutions. To ensure sufficient sensitivity for K, alcoholic extracts were diluted 1 + 1 and parameters were selected to make the plasma more tolerant to alcohol. In so doing, there was increased likelihood of inter‐element interferences which were minimised by changing the observation height. Interferences from Ca and Mg on Na required correction. The success of interference elimination or correction was demonstrated in recovery and comparison tests. The nebulizer successfully handled high NH4Cl concentrations and showed no evidence of clogging. ICPES offers a more time efficient alternative to AAS and flame photometry.

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