# How do you find the total ppm of lead from a dilute soil sample? [closed]

A 0.1009g sample of soil was dissolved in 10mL of sulfuric acid and later analyzed for lead using atomic absorption spectroscopy. AA found 14.207 ppm of lead in the dilute solution. I need to find the total ppm of lead in the original sample but for some reason cannot wrap my head around it. I know that the original solution has 10090 ppm of soil.

• The ppm is just (mass(lead)/mass(sample))*1,000,000 – MaxW Nov 21 at 18:36
• ^ In the exact same way that a percentage is parts per hundred – gen-ℤ ready to perish Nov 21 at 18:49
• Dissolving soil in sulphuric acid seems suspicious due insoluble PbSO4. You have mentioned dilute solution, but not the dilute ratio. Or, was 14.207 ppm Pb in the original solution ? BTW, I have not heard about AAA having 5 digit precission. – Poutnik Nov 21 at 18:53
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• I can't believe that you start from a sample of soil weighing $0.1009$ g, and that you get a solution containing $10090$ ppm of soil, because $10090$ ppm = $0.01009$ g/mL. This numerical values is wrong. It is impossible that $0.1009$ g soil dissolved in $10$ mL acid can give a solution containing the same amount ($0.1009$ g) of solute. It would mean that all your soil is entirely soluble in sulfuric acid. Soils contain always some silica, alumina or clay, that are insoluble in sulfuric acid. Furthermore, if you add sulfuric acid to lead containing stuff, you will produce insoluble PbSO4. – Maurice Nov 21 at 20:34