A simple and rapid hydride generation—atomic absorption method for the determination of arsenic in biological,environmental and geological samples

An inexpensive 50-ml disposable (hypodermic) syringe is used as the arsine generation vessel. The arsine is passed into a 10-cm long. 10-mm i.d. electrically heated silica tube atomizer with nitrogen carrier gas. Excess of hydrogen is burned off in a hydrogen diffusion flame at the ends of the tube. Samples containing appreciable silica are fused with KOH—MgO_XXX while organic samples are digested with H₂SO₄—H₂O₂. Parameters affecting the determination of arsenic as arsine have been investigated. Collaborative results on a variety of standard reference materials agree well with literature values. The advantages of the proposed method are that it is sensitive, selective, fast, simple, inexpensive, precise and accurate.