Analytical Techniques for Analysis of Metals and Minerals in Water

Investigation of the water samples for content of bulk, trace and heavy metals is of great importance for the humanity. For this purpose, a large number of analytical techniques have been developed. Beside analytical techniques, there are systems and methods for pretreatment and preparation of the samples for analysis. There are also procedures for sampling and sample preservation which are essential for the final result. There are several available instrumental techniques for the analysis of metals in water samples (AAS, GFAAS, ICP-OES, ICP-MS, etc.), which can be divided into several groups such as volumetric, spectrophotometric, electrochemical, chromatographic, etc. All these techniques may be coupled among themselves and with techniques for sample preparation such as preconcentration techniques. This improves the performance of the applied techniques and decrease the possibility of the contamination of samples. This chapter provides an insight into all these processes and issues from sampling, sample conservation, pretreatment and preparation to the application of different analytical techniques for analysis of water samples.