ISO 14869-2:2002 specifies a method for the dissolution of total contents for the following elements in soils:

Na, K, Mg, Ca, Ti, Mn, Fe, Al, Si

This list is not exhaustive, and other elements are applicable for determination provided:

• they are not lost during the fusion process,
• w > (3d · V/m).

where

w is the mass content of the element, expressed in milligrams per kilogram soil,

d is the detection limit, in milligrams per litre, for the element and analytical method considered,

3 is a conventional factor,

V is the adjusted volume, in litres, of the final solution containing the dissolved sample, and

m is the mass of the test portion, in kilograms,

• the determination is not adversely affected by the high salt concentration in the resultant solution.

The flux proposed in this method is suitable for a wide range of materials, among which soil samples are relatively easy to deal with.