IL 3; Experiment 1 October 31, 1996 The Study of Akali Metal Contamination in Road Side Soil Abstract Six soil samples were taken from a roadside that was expected to exhibit characteristic of road salt contamination. This contamination is characterized by the presence of magnesium, calcium and sodium. The relationship between akali metal concentration and distance from the pavement was examined and determined to be nonexistent. Additionally, atomic absorbtion and atomic emission spectroscopy were compared and and atomic absorbtion …showed first 75 words of 1212 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1212 total…were determined by atomic spectroscopy and no relationship between distance from the road and concentration was observed. Atomic absorbtion spectroscopy was compared to atomic emission spectroscopy and emission spectroscopy was found to be 0.529 times as sensitive atomic absorbtion. When actual concentrations that were determined by the two techniques were compared, AA values were, on average, -88% lower. This could be a result of matrix effects or spectral interferences in the soil extracts used for AE.