Reduction of matrix interferences in furnace atomic absorption with the L'vov Platform

Use of a modified L'vov Platform and ammonium phosphate as a matrix modifier greatly reduced matrix interferences in a commercial Massmann-type atomic absorption furnace. Platforms were readily fabricated from furnace tubes and, once positioned in the furnace, caused no inconvenience in operation. Two volatile elements (Pb, Cd), two of intermediate volatility (Co, Cr) and two which form stable oxides (Al, Sn) were tested in natural water and selected synthetic matrices. In every case for which there was a significant matrix effect during atomization from the tube wall, the platform and platform plus modifier gave improved performance. With lead, for example, an average ratio of 0.48 ± 0.11 was found when the slope of the standard additions plot for six different natural water samples was compared to the slope of the standard working curve in dilute acid. The average slope ratio between the natural water matrices and the dilute acid matrix was 0.94 ± 0.03 with the L'vov Platform and 0.96 ± 0.03 with the platform and matrix modifier. In none of the cases studied did the use of the platform or platform plus modifier cause an interference problem where none existed while atomizing from the tube wall. An additional benefit of the platform was a factor of about two improvement in peak height precision.     

塞曼石墨炉原子吸收光谱法直接测定血液中痕量铝

采用偏振塞曼原子吸收法，以Ｃａ作基体改进剂，注入热解涂层石墨管中，直接测定用ＯＰ溶液稀释血液样品中的痕量铝，有效地消除了血液基体的干扰，克服了铝的记忆效应，从而提高了方法的测定灵敏度、重现性和准确度。     

Investigation of aluminum interferences using the stabilized temperature platform furnace

Al was determined in the stabilized temperature platform furnace with very few interferences. No interferences were found for several metal nitrates, sulfates or phosphates, or for NaCl. The Al absorbance signal was delayed in the presence of MgCl₂ but there was no interference. This led to the use of 50 μg Mg(NO₃)₂ as a matrix modifier for Al. There were no interferences for CaCl₂ but it was particularly important to use new pyrolytically coated tubes to avoid “aging” effects. CuCl₂ provided a very persistent interference that was reduced when the Mg(NO₃)₂ matrix modifier was used that permitted a char temperature of 1700°C. Perchloric acid interferences were severe with improperly coated graphite tubes but did not exist up to 0.5 M HClO₄ when the new pyrolytically coated tubes were used. A serum Al method was tested briefly and no problems were found. Al was determined in seawater with no influence from the salinity of the sample and less than 0.6 μg/1 Al in seawater could be detected.     

Determination of arsenic, cadmium, lead and selenium in highly mineralized waters by graphite-furnace atomic-absorption spectrometry

A graphite-furnace AAS method using the stabilized-temperature platform furnace (STPF) concept, mixed palladium and magnesium nitrates as chemical modifier and Zeeman background correction has been applied to the direct determination of As, Cd, Pb and Se in highly mineralized waters used for medicinal purposes. These contain 20-40 g/l. concentrations of salts, mainly sodium and magnesium chlorides, bicarbonates and sulphates. The use of a pre-atomization cool-down step to 20 degrees in the graphite-furnace programme reduced the background absorption. Increasing the mass of magnesium nitrate modifier to 5 times that originally proposed improved the analyte peak shape. Under these conditions, no interference was found in analysis of the chloride/bicarbonate type of water, but the sodium and magnesium sulphate type of water had to be diluted, and even then an interference remained. Calibration with matrix-free standard solutions was used, but use of spike recovery is strongly recommended for testing the accuracy. The limits of determination (4.65sigma) of the proposed method for undiluted samples are 2.0 mug/l. for As, 0.05 mug/l. for Cd, 1.0 mug/l. for Pb and 1.5 mug/l. for Se.     

Determination of tributyltin in toluene extract from sea water by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry with a new matrix modifier

A new matrix modifier composed of calcium and chromium[VI] was proposed for the determination of tributyltin (TBT) in toluene extract from sea water containing sediment by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS). Fourteen inorganic and organic compounds (barium, calcium, chromium[VI], lanthanum, magnesium, nickel, palladium, strontium, calcium-chromium[VI], calcium-strontium, nickel isocaprylate, 5%-, 10%-aqueous solution of ascorbic acid and toluene-saturated solution of ascorbic acid) as a matrix modifier were comparatively studied and a matrix modifier composed from 5 microg of calcium and 1 microg of chromium[VI] was found to give the best performance. The interference effects of co-existing elements in sea water containing sediment (aluminium, iron, magnesium, sodium and strontium) were studied. TBT in eight toluene extracts was determined by GFAAS with the proposed matrix modifier. The relative standard deviation was 3.0% for 63 ng ml(-1) of TBT (n = 11). The recoveries were 88-104%. The characteristic mass was 7 pg. The linearity range was 0-250 ng mg(-1).     

Direct determination of lead in polluted sea water by carbon-furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

A simple and rapid method is described for the direct determination of lead in polluted sea water by carbon furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. Filtered sea water is diluted (1+1) with'deionised distilled water and ammonium nitrate is added to act as a matrix modifier. Aliquots of this mixture are injected into a tantalum-coated graphite tube in a HGA-2200 furnace atomiser operated under gas-stop conditions. With the standard addi- tion method, a detection limit (20) of 1 μg Pb 1^-1 is achieved. Good agreement between the proposed method and results obtained by anodic stripping voltammetry was achieved for samples taken from the Firth of Forth.     

Direct determination of cadmium in natural waters by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry without matrix modification

A procedure for the determination of cadmium in fresh, coastal and estuarine waters by polarized Zeeman-effect graphite-furnace atomic absorption spectrometry is validated by using lake waters and seawater. The limit of detection for freshwaters is <2 ng l^?1 cadmium. Undiluted seawater can be analyzed directly without the addition of matrix modifiers with the aid of a stabilized temperature platform. The instrument is calibrated with diluted NBS SRM 1643a (Trace Elements in Water). Analytical performance was tested extensively with fresh and brackish water samples and procedures were worked out to ensure that a high degree of accurately is achieved consistently.     

Determination of fluoride in sea-water by molecular absorption spectrometry of aluminium monofluoride after removal cation and anion interferences

Three procedures are proposed for the determination of trace levels of fluoride in sea-water, based on the formation of aluminium monofluoride in an electrothermal graphite furnace, followed by measurement of its molecular absorption at 227.45 nm. They involve the use of dilution, a matrix modifier, or a matrix modifier and an ion-exchange resin, and are all acceptably sensitive and specific for fluoride. Interferences from cations and anions are removed by a simple 20-fold dilution of the sample. At 10-fold sample dilution, chloride interference can be removed by adding 0.3M ammonium nitrate together with 0.01M aluminium + 0.01M strontium as a matrix modifier. The same matrix modifier is valid for use with 5-fold sample dilution and a cation-exchange step to avoid matrix affects from cations and chloride. The detection limit is about 8-10 ng/ml fluoride and the determination limit is 20 ng/ml. The precision of peak-height measurement at 0.2 mug/ml is 5-7%.     

Application of matrix-modification in determination of thallium in waste water by graphite-furnace atomic-absorption spectrometry

A method has been developed for the determination of thallium in waste water at the ng ml level by graphite-furnace atomic-absorption spectrometry. If microgram amounts of palladium or platinum are used as a matrix modifier, the ashing temperature for thallium can be raised to 1000 degrees , and the interference of halides and mineral acids is greatly reduced. The relative standard deviation found was 2% (9 replicate determinations) at the 8-ng ml thallium level, and the detection limit 1 ng ml .     

Direct determination of boron in a cobalt-based alloy by graphite furnace-atomic absorption spectrometry

A matrix modifier composed of nickel and zirconium, and a graphite tube treated with zirconium solution were proposed for the determination of boron in cobalt-based alloys by graphite furnace-atomic absorption spectrometry. The effects of this matrix modifier and the treated graphite tube were studied, and the combination of 60 mug of nickel and 20 mug of zirconium as matrix modifier, and a graphite tube soaked with 10 g 1(-1) of zirconium solution were found to give the highest analytical sensitivity. The interference effects of major components (cobalt) and eight minor components (chromium, nickel, tungsten, iron, tantalum, molybdenum, titanium, aluminium and manganese) were studied. Boron in four cobalt-based alloys was determined by graphite furnace-atomic absorption spectrometry employing the proposed matrix modifier and the treated graphite tube, without the preseparation of matrix. The relative standard deviation was 3.3% for 0.048% of boron. A characteristic mass was 500 pg.     

Use of iridium plus rhodium as permanent modifier to determine As, Cd and Pb in acids and ethanol by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

The most severe interferences in atomic absorption spectrometry are caused by the presence of anions when they are in different concentrations in the samples and in the calibration solutions. The analyte addition technique or matrix matching calibration can be employed to minimize or compensate the non-spectral interferences, but they are time consuming or difficult to be carried out. The use of chemical modifiers usually allows higher pyrolysis temperatures and consequently the removal of components of the sample matrix, equalizing the analyte signal in the sample and in the calibration solution. In this work, a mixture of Ir and Rh is proposed as permanent modifier to determine As, Cd and Pb in diluted hydrochloric, sulfuric and phosphoric acids and in ethanol and methanol by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ET AAS) with calibration against 1% v/v nitric acid aqueous solutions. The performance of the proposed permanent modifier was compared to that of Pd plus Mg nitrates in solution. Better recoveries, low background levels and faster analysis were obtained with the permanent modifier. The permanent modifier was also successfully employed for the determination of As, Cd and Pb in different concentrations of sulfuric and hydrochloric acids. For the phosphoric acid, the proposed modifier was only efficient for acid concentrations up to 2% v/v for As and up to 5% v/v for Cd and Pb. The precision, expressed as the relative standard deviation (n=3), was lower than 10%, for all samples, including ethanol and methanol.     

Progress of estuarme research in China over last 50 years

It is well known that the estuarine research in China has got great achievements since the past 50 years. The development of estuarine research in China and progress in fundamental study are presented firstly in this paper. Especially in the aspect of theoretic studies, a distinctive feature is the combination studies of dynamics, sedimentology and geomorphology, which obtain a series of achievements, such as estuarine diluted water, estuarine fronts, turbidity maximum, sediment movement, formation of mouth bar, estuarine discontinuity phenomena, estuarine development, etc. Then some successful applications are introduced taking the Qiantang River Estuary and Yangtze Estuary as examples. Finally, main directions of estuarine research are discussed on fundamental study, the impacts of human activities on estuaries, estuarine material flux, sediment movement, prediction of estuarine erosion and accretion, estuarine discontinuity, artificial estuaries, land reclamation and wetland protection.     

石墨炉原子吸收光谱法测定压水反应堆硼酸介质中钙

以甘露醇为基体改进剂,建立石墨炉原子吸收光谱法测定压水反应堆硼酸介质中钙含量的方法。考察基体改进剂用量、灰化温度、原子化温度、基体干扰以及共存离子干扰对测定结果的影响,确定最佳测定条件:以硼含量为1000 mg/kg的硼酸为背景基体,加入适量甘露醇,样品作酸化处理,灰化温度为1700℃,原子化温度为2450℃。钙含量在8~32 μg/kg范围内与光谱强度成良好的线性关系,相关系数为0.9996,方法检出限为1.79 μg/kg。对于硼基体含量为0~2500 mg/kg的样品,测定结果的相对标准偏差为0.5%~7.5%(n=6),相对误差不大于13.2%,加标回收率为93.9%~113.3%。该方法检测速度快,结果准确,能满足实际生产要求。     

Determination of Ultratrace Amounts of Copper(Ⅱ) in Water Samples by Electrothermal Atomic Absorption Spectrometry After Cloud Point Extraction

A novel approach was developed for the determination of ultratrace amounts of copper in water samples by using electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS) after cloud point extraction (CPE). 1-( 2-Pyridylazo)-2-naphthol was used as the chelating reagent and Triton X-114 as the micellar-forming surfactant. CPE was conducted in a pH 8.0 medium at 40 ℃ for 10 min. After the separation of the phases by centrifugation, the surfactant-rich phase was diluted with 1 mL of a methanol solution of 0. 1 mol/L HNO3. Then 20 μL of the diluted surfactant-rich phase was injected into the graphite furnace for atomization in the absence of any matrix modifier. Various experimental conditions that affect the extraction and atomization processes were optimized. A detection limit of 5 ng/L was obtained after preconcentration. The linear dynamic range of the copper mass concentration was found to be 0-2.0ng/mL, and the relative standard deviation was found to be less than 3.1% for a sample containing 1.0 ng/mL Cu(Ⅱ). This developed method was successfully applied to the determination of ultratrace amounts of Cu in drinking water, tap water, and seawater samples.     

微波消解样品-电感耦合等离子体原子发射光谱法测定锰矿中铝、镁、磷

锰矿样品在密闭的消解罐中用盐酸、硝酸、过氧化氢及氢氟酸在微波消解仪中进行消解,所得溶液移入聚四氟乙烯容量瓶中,加水定容至100mL供电感耦合等离子体原子发射光谱法分析用。此方法中不采用加入硼酸络合过剩的氢氟酸,以避免因加入硼酸而引起的干扰。为抵消基体干扰,在制备标准曲线时于各试液中加入一定量的锰(Ⅱ)溶液。选择测定铝、镁及磷的分析谱线依次为396.152,280.270,185.942nm。应用此方法分析了2件锰矿标准物质,测得上述3种元素的测定结果与认定值相符,测定值的相对标准偏差(n=11)在0.63%～1.18%之间。     

Determination of silicon using electrothermal Zeeman atomic absorption spectrometry in presence of some transition metals as modifiers

The transition metals ions Cr(III), Mn(II), Fe(III), Co(II), Ni(II), and Zn(II) in addition to Ca(II) have been used as modifiers in the determination of silicon using electrothermal Zeeman atomic absorption spectrometry. Co(II) proved to be the best. Graphite tubes treated with zirconium, in the presence of Co(II) as a modifier, exhibit higher sensitivity by a factor of five than untreated tubes. The modifier concentration and ashing and atomization temperatures have been optimized. Also interference of different inorganic cations and anions was studied.     

Silver as a test element for Zeeman furnace AAS

Silver was studied as a candidate element to test the stability of graphite furnace performance. Several problems were found, but when these were controlled the instrumental performance was quite stable and reproducible. When the Ag line at 328.1 nm was used with a matrix containing phosphate and a metal, a small spectral interference was produced when Zeeman background correction was used. The interference appeared to result from Zeeman splitting of PO bands that overlapped the 328.1-nm line from the source. Since phosphate had been recommended as a matrix modifier for Ag, this could be a serious problem. Both Pd and Cu are shown to be preferable to phosphate as a matrix modifier for Ag, especially with Zeeman corrected instruments.     

Investigation of interference mechanism of cobalt chloride on the determination of bismuth by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

The interferences of cobalt chloride on the determination of bismuth by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS) were examined using a dual cavity platform (DCP), which allows the gas-phase and condensed phase interferences to be distinguished. Effects of pyrolysis temperature, pyrolysis time, atomization temperature, heating rate in the atomization step, gas-flow rate in the pyrolysis and atomization steps, interferent mass and atomization from wall on sensitivity as well as atomization signals were studied to explain the interference mechanisms. The mechanism proposed for each experiment was verified with other subsequent sets of experiments. Finally, modifiers pipetted on the thermally treated sample+interferent mixture and pyrolyzed at different temperatures provided very useful information for the existence of volatilization losses of analyte before the atomization step. All experiments confirmed that when low pyrolysis temperatures are applied, the main interference mechanisms are the gas-phase reaction between bismuth and decomposition products of cobalt chloride in the atomization step. On the other hand, at elevated temperatures, the removal of a volatile compound formed between analyte and matrix constituents is responsible for some temperature-dependent interferences, although gas-phase interferences still continue. The experiments performed with colloidal palladium and nickel nitrate showed that the modifier behaves as both a matrix modifier and analyte modifier, possibly delaying the vaporization of either analyte or modifier or both of them.     

Titanium as a chemical modifier for the determination of cobalt in marine sediments

The determination of cobalt in marine sediments by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry was studied using no modifier and magnesium and titanium as modifiers. Titanium is one of the major sediment constituents, which widely affects the cobalt determination and it was studied as a chemical modifier since it was the only concomitant that increased the cobalt signal in the concentration range usually found in sediments. The performance of Mg and Ti as chemical modifiers was compared relative to maximum pyrolysis and atomization temperatures, linear calibration range, sensitivity and matrix effects. The pyrolysis curves showed that the analyte could be stabilized up to 1400 °C when either Ti or Mg(NO₃)₂ was present, while only 1000 °C could be used in the absence of a modifier. The optimum atomization temperature was 2500 °C in all cases. Analytical curves were compared using no modifier, 5 μg Ti and 100 μg Mg(NO₃)₂ as modifiers, and the linear range found was up to approximately 4 ng Co whether a modifier was used or not. With Ti as a chemical modifier, analytical curves for cobalt in aqueous solution and in a synthetic matrix resulted in the same sensitivity (m₀=55 pg), whereas the use of Mg led to characteristic mass values of 59 and 72 pg in aqueous solution and in a synthetic matrix, respectively, showing some matrix effect. The detection limits (3σ, n=10) were 0.4 μg g⁻¹ using no modifier and 0.3 μg g⁻¹ with Ti as a modifier in the original matrix. A reference estuarine sediment NIST 1646 with a non-certified content of 10.5 μg g⁻¹ Co was analyzed and the found value of 10.9±2.4 μg g⁻¹, (n=3), using Ti as chemical modifier and calibration against aqueous standards, was in good agreement with the recommended value.