USEPA Method9056A DETERMINATION OF INORGANIC ANIONS BY ION CHROMATOGRAPHY
1.1 This method addresses the sequential determination of chloride (ClG), fluoride (FG),
bromide (BrG), nitrate (NO3G), nitrite (NO2G), phosphate (PO4
3G), and sulfate (SO4
2G) anions in
aqueous samples, such as drinking water, wastewater, aqueous extracts of solids, and the
collection solutions from the bomb combustion of solid waste samples.
1.2 The method detection limit (MDL), the minimum concentration of a substance that can
be measured and reported with 99% confidence that the value is above zero, varies for anions as
a function of sample size. Generally, minimum detectable concentrations are in the range of 0.002-
0.02 mg/L for FG, BrG, ClG, NO3G-N, NO2G-N, PO4
3G-P, and SO4
2G with a 50-μL sample loop.
Example MDLs for specific anions are given in Table 1 and are provided for illustrative purposes
only. The upper limit of the method is dependent on total anion concentration and may be
determined experimentally. Maximum column loading (total anions) should not exceed
approximately 500 ppm. Dilution of samples may allow higher concentration samples to be
analyzed.