Overview
ISO 5889:1983 specifies a flame atomic absorption spectrometric (AAS) method for the determination of aluminium, copper, lead and zinc in manganese ores and concentrates. The standard covers the analytical principle, reagents, apparatus, sampling, detailed procedure and expression of results, and is intended to be read in conjunction with ISO 4297 (general instructions for chemical analysis of manganese ores).
Key scope (element concentration ranges):
- Aluminium: 0.1 – 4.0 % (m/m)
- Copper: 0.005 – 1.0 % (m/m)
- Lead: 0.005 – 1.0 % (m/m)
- Zinc: 0.005 – 0.25 % (m/m)
Keywords: ISO 5889:1983, manganese ores, flame atomic absorption, AAS, aluminium, copper, lead, zinc, calibration, sampling.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Principle: decomposition of a test portion with acids, fusion of residues when required, dilution and aspiration into a flame AAS; calibration against standard solutions.
- Reagents: hydrochloric, nitric, sulfuric and hydrofluoric acids; fusion mixture (3 parts potassium carbonate : 1 part boric acid); high-purity standard solutions for Al, Cu, Pb, Zn.
- Apparatus: atomic absorption spectrometer with both air/acetylene and dinitrogen oxide/acetylene burners (air/acetylene for Cu, Pb, Zn; N2O/acetylene for Al). Required element wavelengths: Al 309.3 nm, Cu 324.8 nm, Pb 283.3 nm, Zn 213.8 nm.
- Calibration and performance criteria: minimum sensitivity (highest calibration absorbance ≥ 0.3), linearity (slope top 20% ≥ 0.7 × bottom 20%), and stability limits for repeated readings.
- Sampling and sample prep: refers to ISO sampling standards for manganese ores; test portion decomposition includes acid digestion, filtration, ignition of residues and fusion where necessary.
- Results: element concentrations calculated from calibration curves and reported as % (m/m) on a dry basis; oxide conversion factors (e.g., Al → Al2O3) are provided.
Practical applications and users
ISO 5889:1983 is used by:
- Mining and mineral processing laboratories for quality control of manganese ores and concentrates
- Assay and chemical analysis laboratories performing routine elemental assays (Al, Cu, Pb, Zn)
- Metallurgical and production teams needing compositional data for process control and product specifications
- Research and development groups studying ore composition and beneficiation
Benefits: standardized sample preparation and AAS measurement improve comparability of results across labs and support compliance with commercial and technical specifications.
Related standards
- ISO 4297 - Manganese ores and concentrates: methods of chemical analysis (general instructions)
- ISO 4296-1 / ISO 4296-2 - Sampling of manganese ores (increment and preparation of samples)
For laboratories implementing ISO 5889:1983, ensure instrument performance meets the standard’s calibration, sensitivity and stability criteria, and follow referenced ISO sampling standards for representative test portions.