ABSTRACT
The analysis of metals is a major pattern inextricably woven into this fabric. Sometimes metals needs have driven developments. Often the application to metals followed closely upon other materials needs. It is well established that the physical properties of metals and alloys can be profoundly affected by extremely minute concentrations of certain elements. The list of metallurgical properties that can be significantly modified by residual levels of elements is quite extensive. Trace levels of certain elements affect the size and growth of grains during solidification. The cracks that sometimes form during hot work of steels are often the result of liquid films of traces of low melting impurity compounds at grain boundaries. Trace elements are notoriously heterogeneous in many metals and alloys. They accumulate at grain boundaries; they are associated with phases and inclusions. The most basic approaches to trace analysis and the first that were developed were preconcentration schemes utilizing conventional technology.
