Preliminary panoramic study of river calm muscle using neodymium: yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Nd: YAG) laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS)

A wide coverage spectral investigation on the muscle of river calm sample has been carried out using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy for examining the overall profile of the emission spectra from the produced plasma. The basic apparatus of LIBS system used is a Nd-YAG laser and wide coverage optical multichannel analyzer (OMA) system. The river clam samples used is collected from Panga River in Aceh Jaya Regency, Aceh, Indonesia up streaming in a mountain of Gunong Ujeun, which is used as a location of the intensive traditional mining activity. Assuming that heavy metal accumulated in the clam muscle, LIBS experiments were carried out on the muscle of the calm. The sample used was fresh muscle sliced and attached to a copper plate. Plasma was generated by focusing the laser beam on the sample surface under air surrounding gas at 1 atmosphere. It is found that there are only major elements of host organic, namely C, H, O, N and the minor element of salts can be detected from fresh the clam sample when using a high pulse laser energy under air surrounding at high pressure of 1 atmosphere. There is no emission lines from any metal can be detected. Several experimental parameters were explored to study the panoramic dynamic of the emission spectra. It is found that the lower energy and the lower pressure is better for obtaining better emission spectra showing the possibility for determination of the analyte.