Elemental Analysis of Environmental and Biological Samples Using Laser‐Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy and Pulsed Raman Spectroscopy

Abstract Laser‐induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and a relatively new technique, pulsed Raman spectroscopy (P‐RAMS) are used in this investigation to measure the elemental composition of soils and heterogeneous biological matrices. The LIBS method was used effectively to determine the elemental concentration of carbon and nitrogen in soils, and the presence of metal contaminants in invertebrates. The P‐RAMS method was used in exploratory studies to assess prominent molecular vibration peaks from the same soils analyzed using LIBS. The P‐RAMS spectra for the different soils show a close relationship to the fraction of organic carbon in soils. Our results demonstrate that these techniques greatly facilitate elemental analysis of heterogeneous environmental and biological matrices by reducing sample preparation and analysis times. These techniques can also provide semi‐quantitative results on a regular basis and quantitative results in particular cases. Keywords: LIBSPulsed Raman spectroscopyElemental analysis of environmental and biological samples Acknowledgments We would like to acknowledge and thank Bonnie Lu of ORNL for analyzing the fifteen soils using the LECO® CN‐2000. We would also like to extend our thanks to Deanne Brice (Oak Ridge institute for science education) who helped with the LIBS and P‐RAMS measurements and made sure that the soil pellets and the invertebrate specimens were analyzed in a reproducible and repeatable manner. The research on soils was sponsored by the Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, managed by University of Tennessee‐Battelle, LLC for the US Department of Energy (DOE) under contract number DE‐AC05‐00OR22725. Support for the invertebrate analyses was provided through the Y‐12 National Security Complex Biological Monitoring and Abatement Program, sponsored by the Environmental Safety and Health Directorate, Environmental Compliance Organization. The Oak Ridge Y‐12 plant is managed by BWXT‐Y12 for the US Department of Energy under contract DE‐AC05‐00‐OR22800. Additional support was provided by the DOE Office of Fossil Energy though the National Energy Technology Laboratory.