Abstract: Contents of elements in metals, e.g. aluminum in steel, which are present as a total quantity in an elemental/dissolved form and in a non-elemental or separated form, are determined by sparking the surface of the metal under an inert atmosphere. The spectral signal is simultaneously measured as a function of time, and a signal is obtained which initially exhibits an intensity peak, from which the non-elemental or separated element content can be concluded, and the signal then stabilizes at a stationary value from which the total content (C.sub.t) of element can be concluded. The elemental/dissolved proportion (C.sub.s) can be concluded from the total area (P.sub.1) below the peak, from the area (P.sub.2) under the stationary intensity measured over a time (t.sub.2 -t.sub.1) and from the total content (C.sub.t).