Determination op fluoride in plant samples by a potentiometric method and near‐infrared reflectance spectroscopy

Abstract

The determination of fluoride in plant materials was studied using a specific ion electrode following extraction using either deionized water or 0.1 M perchloric acid. When the extracting agent was water, the amount of fluoride determined was generally 37% less than that obtained using perchloric acid. However, a close relationship was observed between the amounts extracted by either procedure. When perchloric acid is used, the method was found to be precise (variation coefficient 0.74%), accurate (average recovery 98.67%) and sensitive enough to be used in the routine analysis of plant materials. The determination of fluoride by near‐infrared reflectance analysis (NIRA) was also used which gave generally acceptable results.