Determination of total tin in silicate rocks by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

A method is described for the determination of total tin in silicate rocks utilizing a graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometer with a stabilized-temperature platform furnace and Zeeman-effect background correction. The sample is decomposed by lithium metaborate fusion (3 + 1) in graphite crucibles with the melt being dissolved in 7.5% hydrochloric acid. Tin extractions (4 + 1 or 8 + 1) are executed on portions of the acid solutions using a 4% solution of trioctylphosphine oxide in methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK). Ascorbic acid is added as a reducing agent prior to extraction. A solution of diammonium hydrogenphosphate and magnesium nitrate is used as a matrix modifier in the graphite furnace determination. The limit of detection is > 10 pg, equivalent to > 1 μg l^?1 of tin in the MIBK solution or 0.2–0.3 μg g^?1 in the rock. The concentration range is linear between 2.5 and 500 μg l^?1 tin in solution. The precision, measured as relative standard deviation, is < 20% at the 2.5 μg l^?1 level and < 7% at the 10–30 μg l^?1 level of tin. Excellent agreement with recommended literature values was found when the method was applied to the international silicate rock standards BCR-1, PCC-1, GSP-1, AGV-1, STM-1, JGb-1 and Mica-Fe. Application was made to the determination of tin in geological core samples with total tin concentrations of the order of 1 μg g^?1 or less.     

Signal processing and detection limits for graphite furnace atomic absorption with Zeeman background correction

The signal handling requirements for graphite furnace atomic absorption are much more demanding than those for flame atomic absorption. Graphite furnace signals change rapidly, background levels are higher, and signal interpretation needs are more extensive.We have identified a number of signal generation and processing factors that are important for success in graphite furnace analyses. These include: use of the transverse, a.c. Zeeman technique with the magnet on the analyte for background correction; production of a series of signal integrals at line frequency to accurately represent the shape of the furnace peak; use of interpolation techniques to better correct for rapidly changing background levels; use of integrated peak absorbance (A.s) signals rather than peak height absorbance for quantitative measurements; use of baseline correction to improve the accuracy of integrated peak absorbance signals; and use of graphical techniques to facilitate data interpretation and methods development.Examples are presented that illustrate the contribution of these factors to precision and detection limit performance. It is possible to improve detection limits over those previously reported by choosing appropriate signal handling parameters.     

Determination of traces of silver in copper by direct Zeeman graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

Summary A method was developed to determine traces of silver in copper by direct Zeeman graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (ZAAS) on solid samples. The system is calibrated using quantitatively doped copper, whose blank silver content is determined using an iterative process. The method has been applied to the analysis of several candidate reference materials. Relative standard deviations of 2 to 5% are obtained in the range 1 to 12 g·g^–1. Furthermore, it was also applied to assess the homogeneity of a neutron dosimetry candidate reference material.     

Determination of boron isotope ratios by Zeeman effect background correction-graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

A new method for the determination of isotopic ratio of boron using Zeeman effect background correction-graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry with conventional atomizer and natural-boron hollow cathode source is described. The isotope-shift Zeeman effect at 208.9 nm is utilized for isotopic ratio determination. At a given concentration of total boron, the net absorbance decreases linearly with increasing ¹⁰B/¹¹B ratio. The absorbances are recorded at the field strength of 1.0 T. The isotope ratios measured by the proposed method were in good agreement with the results obtained by inductively coupled plasma-quadruple mass spectrometry or thermal ionization mass spectrometry. The present method is fairly fast and less expensive compared to the above techniques and is quite suitable for plant environments.     

Precision and detection limits in Zeeman graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

This is the first theoretical study of photometric errors in Zeeman graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry with evaluation of their effect on the precision in the traditional method of peak area determination and the pulse restoration method proposed earlier for linearization and expansion of calibration curves. Besides the fraction of non-absorbed radiation, α, and Zeeman sensitivity ratio, R, the theoretical calculations make use of three more parameters, namely the “energy” value, E, the baseline offset compensation time, t_toc, and the integration time, t_int. The theoretical calculations are supported by experimental data on detection limits for a number of elements and on the RSD obtained in Ag and Cd determinations. A comparison of the precision in the case of pulses with dips has shown the pulse restoration method to be superior over the traditional technique. The theoretical results can be used to improve the measurement precision and the detection limits by proper modification of the spectrophotometer and optimization of experimental conditions.     

Correction of characteristic mass in Zeeman graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

A systematic study has been made of the effect of hollow-cathode lamp current and slit width (SW) of the 4100ZL spectrometer on characteristic mass m₀, Zeeman sensitivity ratio R, and roll-over absorbance A_r, for nine elements: Au, Bi, Cd, Co, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Tl. The lamp spectra near the recommended analytical lines have been investigated for these elements. The data obtained have been combined with a theoretical analysis to show that the self-absorption of the analytical lines observed with increasing current and the rise of non-absorbable radiation with increasing SW affect m₀ and the A_r and R parameters differently. It is shown that a separate correction requiring additional narrow-slit measurement of the A_r parameter is necessary to take into account the SW effect on m₀. A separate-correction method built upon this basis offers a substantial improvement of the accuracy of taking into account the SW effect on m₀ compared with the method of combined correction proposed earlier (E.G. Su, A.I. Yuzefovsky, R.G. Michel, J.T. McCaffrey and W. Slavin, Microchem. J., 48 (1993) 278). Exceptions are the Mn and Ni analytical lines, for which the m₀ correction has turned out to be ineffective both in the separate- and combined-correction procedures because of adjacent absorption-sensitive lines passing through the wider slit.     

Determination of manganese in brain samples by slurry sampling graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

A simple procedure for the determination of manganese in different sections of human brain samples by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry has been developed. Brain sections included cerebellum, hypothalamus, frontal cortex, vermix and encephalic trunk. Two sample preparation procedures were evaluated, namely, slurry sampling and microwave-assisted acid digestion. Brain slurries (2% w/v) could be prepared in distilled, de-ionized water, with good stability for up to 30 min. Brain samples were also digested in a domestic microwave oven using 5 ml of concentrated HNO₃. A mixed palladium+magnesium nitrate chemical modifier was used for thermal stabilization of the analyte in the electrothermal atomizer up to pyrolysis temperatures of 1300 °C, irrespective of the matrix. Quantitation of manganese was conducted in both cases by means of aqueous standards calibration. The detection limits were 0.3 and 0.4 ng ml⁻¹ for the slurry and the digested samples, respectively. The accuracy of the procedure was checked by comparing the results obtained in the analysis of slurries and digested brain samples, and by analysis of the NIST Bovine Liver standard reference material (SRM 1577a). The ease of slurry preparation, together with the conventional set of analytical and instrumental conditions selected for the determination of manganese make such methodology suitable for routine clinical applications.     

Determination of nickel in urine and other biological samples by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

Summary A method for the determination of nickel in urine and other biological samples by graphite furnace AAS has been developed and employed for clinical applications. This method offers several advantages: The digestion of the samples with nitric and perchloric acids is time-saving, nickel is precipitated with ammonium pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate over a wide range of acidity and Ni-PDC in MIBK is fairly stable for one week. The coefficient of variation from run-to-run is 7.3% based on analyses of the same urine specimen containing 1.2 g/l of nickel on 9 successive working days, and the coefficient of variation within a single run is 4.7% based on 8 analyses of a single urine specimen containing 1.3 g/l of nickel within the same day. A good agreement is obtained with the certified values when the method is applied to the determination of nickel in biological standard reference materials.

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Nickelbestimmung in Harn und anderen biologischen Proben durch Graphitofen-AAS

Zusammenfassung Das Verfahren, das für klinische Anwendung entwickelt wurde, bietet mehrere Vorteile: der Aufschluß der Proben mit Salpeter- und Perchlorsäure ist zeitsparend, Nickel kann mit Ammoniumpyrrolidindithiocarbamat in einem weiten pH-Bereich gefällt werden und Ni-PDC in MIBK ist eine Woche lang stabil. Der Variationskoeffizient beträgt 7,3% für 1,2 g Ni/l über 9 Arbeitstage, für 8 Analysen mit 1,3 g Ni/l innerhalb eines Arbeitstages beträgt er 4,7%. Bei der Analyse von Standardreferenzmaterialien wurde gute Übereinstimmung mit den zertifizierten Werten festgestellt.

     

Direct determination of cadmium in urine using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry with Zeeman-effect background correction

A procedure is described for the direct determination of cadmium in human urine using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry with Zeeman-effect background correction. Except for a straightforward 1 + 1 V/V dilution of samples with 1.5% nitric acid, no matrix modifier or sample pre-treatment was necessary, thus reducing the risk of contamination. The concentration of cadmium in urine was evaluated directly from a calibration graph prepared using a metal-spiked human urine pool. In this way the time-consuming method of standard additions was avoided, permitting an increased sample throughput (120-150 samples per day; 90 s per analysis) with minimal attention of the analyst. In routine use, the precision (both within day and day to day) and limit of detection were of the order of less than 10% and 0.05 micrograms l-1 of Cd, respectively. The method is suitable for the biological monitoring of cadmium in the general population or in occupationally exposed persons.     

Determination of ultra trace amounts of cobalt in fish by graphite furnace Zeeman effect atomic absorption spectrometry

A method is described for determining stable cobalt concentrations in fish flesh and bone using polarized Zeeman effect graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (ZAAS). Cobalt analysis on freshwater fish flesh samples (10 g dry weight) required predigestion and wet-ashing at 70-80 degrees C. Cobalt is chelated with ammonium pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (APDC) extracted with methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK) and analysed by ZAAS. The mean cobalt content calculated from the standard additions method using three replicate fish flesh samples was 4.23 +/- 1.0 microgram Co. Kg-1 (dry weight). Analyses were also carried out on flesh and bone samples from similar sized fish, of the same species, taken from three area lakes.     

Determination of cadmium in paint samples by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry with optical temperature control

A graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) method with optical temperature control for the determination of trace cadmium in paint samples is described. Optical temperature control was superior in many respects to current temperature control. The sensibility increased by 60%, the linear range widened by 60%, and the life of graphite tube showed a 200–300% increase because atomization temperature was lowered distinctly and atomization time was shortened. Use of lanthanum chloride as a matrix modifier was investigated. The linear range of calibration curve was 0–24 ng mL⁻¹. The detection limit was 9.6 ng L⁻¹. The characteristic mass was 3.0 pg. The method also resulted in excellent reproducibility (≤2.5% R.S.D.) at such low levels, and the recovery of added cadmium in paint samples was from 94.6% to 102%. This method is readily applicable to the determination of cadmium in paint samples.     

Extension of working range in Zeeman graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry by nonlinear calibration with prior correction for stray light

The nonlinear working range of a Perkin-Elmer 4100Zl atomic absorption spectrometer was improved in three steps. Firstly, each absorbance datum within the transient profile was corrected for the presence of stray light by an algorithm originally developed by L'vov and co-workers (Spectrochim. Acta Part B, 47 (1992) 889–895 and 1187–1202), but with the incorporation of the Newton method of successive approximations (Spectrochim. Acta Part B, 49 (1994) 1643–1656. Secondly, a dip correction procedure was performed on temporal signal profiles that exhibited a dip due to rollover. In the final step, an analytically useful working curve was generated by the nonlinear calibration routine of Barnett (Spectrochim. Acta Part B, 39 (1984) 829). Goodness of fit between the resultant calibration curve and the data was measured by the method suggested by Miller-Ihli et al. (Spectrochim. Acta Part B, 39 (1984) 1603) that is based on the sum of squares of the percentage deviation (SSPD) and the root mean square (RMS) percentage deviation. For lead, silver, copper, thallium, and cadmium, the analytical nonlinear working range was increased by as much as one and a half orders of magnitude, without any significant effect on the RMS. For chromium and manganese, no significant improvement in the nonlinear working range was observed, while the RMS improved by 50%. In the case of nickel, neither the working range nor the RMS was improved.     

Instrumentation for simultaneous multielement atomic absorption spectrometry with graphite furnace atomization

Graphite furnace-atomic absorption spectrometry (GF-AAS) is restricted to the determination of 4 to 6 elements simultaneously due to the limitations of hollow cathode lamps. However, a consideration of prototype continuum source instruments and recent advances in the fields of spectrometer and detector technology suggests that a multielement GF-AAS instrument, with the multielement versatility associated with atomic emission spectrometry, is possible. Such a multielement instrument would employ a continuum source and provide 1.) multielement determinations for 30 to 40 elements, 2.) wavelength and time integrated absorbance measurements which are independent of the source width, 3.) detection limits comparable to line source AAS with the potential for another order of magnitude improvement using atomization at elevated pressures, 4.) extended calibration ranges limited only by the memory of the atomizer, and 5.) high resolution inspection of the spectra surrounding the analytical wavelength. Such an instrument could provide figures of merit comparable to inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer with considerably less complexity.     

Instrumentation for simultaneous multielement atomic absorption spectrometry with graphite furnace atomization

Graphite furnace-atomic absorption spectrometry (GF-AAS) is restricted to the determination of 4 to 6 elements simultaneously due to the limitations of hollow cathode lamps. However, a consideration of prototype continuum source instruments and recent advances in the fields of spectrometer and detector technology suggests that a multielement GF-AAS instrument, with the multielement versatility associated with atomic emission spectrometry, is possible. Such a multielement instrument would employ a continuum source and provide 1.) multielement determinations for 30 to 40 elements, 2.) wavelength and time integrated absorbance measurements which are independent of the source width, 3.) detection limits comparable to line source AAS with the potential for another order of magnitude improvement using atomization at elevated pressures, 4.) extended calibration ranges limited only by the memory of the atomizer, and 5.) high resolution inspection of the spectra surrounding the analytical wavelength. Such an instrument could provide figures of merit comparable to inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer with considerably less complexity.     

石墨炉原子吸收光谱法测定茶叶中的铅

采用石墨炉原子吸收光谱法测定茶叶中铅,以NH4H2PO4作为基体改进剂,提高了测定的灰化温度,消除了基体干扰.方法简便,快速,准确度高.通过对标准物质的多次测定,结果均在其保证值范围内,相对标准偏差为2.8%.对样品进行加标回收试验,回收率为96%～105%,方法检出限为0.12μg/L.     

石墨炉原子吸收测定模拟体液中的镍

人工关节置换手术的出现是外科手术治疗软骨病损的一次巨大的进步。但人工关节假体的后期松动是长期困扰其发展的难题。镍钛合金人工关节假体材料在体液中的腐蚀与磨损,以及磨损颗粒引起周围组织的异物反应,是造成晚期关节假体松动的主要原因。另一方面,镍钛合金植人体在体液腐蚀下释放的镍离子对人体有害,而且还可能致癌。因此,对镍钛合金进行表面改性,以提高其耐磨与耐腐蚀性能很有必要。