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ISSN print edition: 0366-6352
ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075
Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7
Published monthly
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ICP MS analysis and classification of potable, spring, and mineral waters
Filip Kraic, Ján Mocák, Željka Fiket, and Goran Kniewald
Department of Chemistry, University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius, J. Herdu 2, Trnava, SK-917 01, Slovak Republic
E-mail: jan.mocak@ucm.sk
Received: 10 December 2007 Revised: 7 March 2008 Accepted: 10 March 2008
Abstract: Ninety-three water samples were categorized into five classes as the tap, mineral, mineral carbonated, spring, and spring
carbonated water, or, alternatively, into four or three categories — with all spring water samples together or as tap, mineral,
and spring water, respectively. The samples originated from four European countries and thirty-one chemical descriptors (concentrations
of contained elements) were used for their characterization. Analytical measurements were performed by mass spectrometry with
inductively coupled plasma, allowing the determination of individual nuclides. Different water categories were characterized
by chemometrical techniques, mainly by principal component analysis, cluster analysis, linear and quadratic discriminant analyses,
correlation analysis, and ANOVA. Their role was to discover the nuclides important for distinct characterization of individual
water categories as well as to assess the possibility of water samples from different countries being recognized from the
increased/decreased content of some elements. The enhanced content of Cd, Cu, Zn, Bi, and Fe was characteristic for tap water
samples, whilst mineral water samples were characterized by the elevated concentration of Sr, Li, B, Ni, Co, As, and Sb. The
classification results were successful and close to 100 %, which was proved by the leave-one-out cross-validation procedure.
Keywords: potable water - mineral water - spring water - ICP MS - chemometrical classification
Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.
DOI: 10.2478/s11696-008-0063-6
Chemical Papers 62 (5) 445–450 (2008)