Minimizing the effect of organic matrices in the analysis of tin-containing extracts by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry: Determination of Tin in rocks

The effect of the nature of the extracted complex and of the organic solvent on the sensitivity of the extraction/atomic absorption determination of tin in a graphite-furnace atomizer is investigated. It is recommended that extracts of tin as its chloride complex, or chelates with N-benzoyl-N-phenylhydroxylamine or 8-quinolinol, in organic solvents which do not contain chlorine should be used. The depressive effect of the organic matrix can be significantly decreased by using ascorbic acid as matrix modifier, by atomization from a graphite platform, and by using an atomizer coated with tungsten carbide. The procedure developed is applied to the determination of tin in rocks. For tin concentrations of 0.1–10 μg g^?1, the relative standard deviation does not exceed 10%.     

Echelle-spectrometer/image-dissector system for elemental quantitation by continuous-source atomic absorption spectrometry

The performance of an echelle-spectrometer/image-dissector system is evaluated for elemental quantitation by continuous-source atomic absorption spectrometry. Flame and graphite-furnace atomizers were used, as well as two different spectrometer configurations. Quantitative results obtained with the flame atomizer and a low-resolution spectrometer configuration are discussed briefly; results obtained with the graphite-furnace atomizer and a higher-resolution configuration are presented in detail. Absorption sensitivities for calcium (422.7 nm), chromium (425.4 and 357.9 nm), copper (324.8 nm), and manganese (403.1 and 279.5 nm) were all within a factor of 4–6 of comparable line- source absorption sensitivities, and calibration curves were linear up to absorbances of about 0.1. Further development of the system for simultaneous multi-element quantitation is discussed.     

A method for reduction of matrix interferences in a commercial electrothermal atomizer for atomic absorption spectroscopy

A CRA-63 atomizer has been modified by replacement of the conventional center supports with 2-pronged supports that hold the atomizer tube at both ends. This arrangement allows current to flow only across the atomizer ends. The center is heated by conduction. Large initial temperature differences (750–900 K) between the sample-containing center and the ends eliminates or decreases the interferences on Pb normally observed with this atomizer. Six chloride and one sulfate matrices were studied.Longer atomizers and higher power produced the largest temperature differences and, therefore, the best lead recoveries. At a given length, recovery eventually plateaued while the signal for lead in the absence of matrices decreased when heating power was further increased. It was concluded that further improvements would require longer tubes and a combination of end and center heating.The importance of considering interferent/analyte ratios in interpreting recovery data was examined for the interference of MgCl₂ on lead.     

Comparative Study of the Effect of Sample Matrix on the Atomic Absorption of High-Volatile Elements in Two-Step and Conventional Atomizers

The space–time dynamics of absorbing atomic layers of cadmium and lead and molecular layers of zinc chloride in a commercially produced transverse-heated graphite atomizer and a newly developed two-step atomizer was studied. It was shown that the limiting temperature of cadmium pyrolysis in the two-step atomizer without the use of modifiers may be as high as 1000°C, whereas in the commercial analyzer is it not higher than 300°C. Levels of nonselective absorption due to sodium chloride were compared. It was found that, for a two-step atomizer, the maximum allowable mass of sodium chloride for which the background at lead and cadmium lines can be adequately compensated is 17–30 times higher than that for the commercial atomizer. The atomization of cadmium in the presence of sodium chloride was studied using time, space, and spectral resolution. It was shown that the effect of the chloride matrix in the two-step atomizer is suppressed because of sample fractionation and distillation in the course of its evaporation and condensation.     

Interference effect of chloride on the determination of bismuth by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

The effects of various chloride salts on the graphite-furnace atomic absorption signal of bismuth are described. The chloride interference arises from coordination of chloride ions to bismuth(III) in solution, as confirmed by u.v. spectrophotometric and polarographic studies on the interaction of hydrochloric acid and bismuth(III) in solution. The interference can be removed by addition of diammonium-EDTA.     

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 bismuth in river sediment by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry with low-temperature atomization in argon/hydrogen

A method is described for the direct determination of bismuth (1–5 μg g^?1) in river sediments by graphite-furnace atomic absorption spectrometry in 90% argon/10% hydrogen with low-temperature atomization. The presence of 10% hydrogen in the argon sheath gas promotes atomization; the bismuth absorption reaches a maximum at 850–950°C, which allows better discrimination of the atomic signal from the background absorption. The use of trisodium phosphate as the matrix modifier further decreases the interference effects from the matrix components and increases the sensitivity. The results, obtained by direct calibration with aqueous standards, are in good agreement with certified values.     

Investigations of reactions involved in electrothermal atomic absorption procedures: Part 11. A theoretical and experimental investigation of factors influencing the determination of tin

Factors of importance for the determination of tin by graphite-furnace atomic absorption spectrometry have been investigated. Losses of tin during the drying and ashing stages were monitored by use of radioactivity measurements. It was found that tin could be lost at 100°C when ordinary graphite or glassy carbon surfaces were used. However, if the sample was dispensed into a droplet of ammonia, no losses occurred until 800°C, independent of the graphite surface, because tin is stabilized as SnO₂ (s,l) and chloride is removed as ammonium chloride. High-temperature equilibrium calculations indicate that tin forms volatile oxides, halides and sulphides which are stable up to relatively high temperatures. As is shown experimentally with commercial non-isothermal atomizers, these molecules might be removed from the system before their decomposition temperature is reached. A recently developed constant-temperature furnace was used to vaporize the sample into an environment of high and constant temperature, in which interference effects from chlorine and sulphur were minimized, as predicted by theory.     

Determination of arsenic in ores, concentrates and related materials by graphite-furnace atomic-absorption spectrometry after separation by xanthate extraction

A method for determining approximately 0.2 mug/g or more of arsenic in ores, concentrates and related materials is described. After sample decomposition arsenic(V) is reduced to arsenic(III) with titanium(III) and separated from iron, lead, zinc, copper, uranium, tin, antimony, bismuth and other elements by cyclohexane extraction of its xanthate complex from approximately 8-10M hydrochloric acid. After washing with 10M hydrochloric acid-2% thiourea solution to remove residual iron and co-extracted copper, followed by water to remove chloride, arsenic is stripped from the extract with 16M nitric acid and ultimately determined in a 2% nitric acid medium by graphite-furnace atomic-absorption spectrometry, at 193.7 nm, in the presence of thiourea (which eliminates interference from sulphate) and palladium as matrix modifiers. Small amounts of gold, platinum and palladium, which are partly co-extracted as xanthates under the proposed conditions, do not interfere.     

Effects of ammonium nitrate on sensitivity for determinations of copper,iron, and manganese in sea water by atomic absorption spectrometry with pyrolytically coated graphite tubes

Ammonium nitrate, used as a matrix modifier in sea-water analysis to eliminate the interference of sodium chloride, degrades the pyrolytic coating on graphite-furnace tubes. The initially increased sensitivities for copper, manganese and iron are maintained for up to 15 atomizations; there is then a rapid decline to a constant lower sensitivity. The characteristics depend strongly on the particular lot of furnace tubes. To decrease the NaCl interference without using matrix modifier, estuarine samples must be diluted (1 + 1) with pure water. Blanks and standards are prepared and diluted with Gulf Stream water containing low amounts of trace metals to match the estuarine matrix.     

Hydride generation – in-atomizer collection of Pb in a quartz trap-and-atomizer device for atomic absorption spectrometry – an interference study

Interferences of selected hydride forming elements (As, Sb, Bi, Se and Sn) on lead determination by hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry were extensively studied in both on-line atomization and preconcentration (collection) modes. The commonly used on-line atomization mode was found free of significant interferences, whereas strong interference from Bi was observed when employing the preconcentration mode with plumbane collection in a quartz trap-and-atomizer device. Interference of Bi seems to take place in the preconcentration step. Interference of Bi in the collection mode cannot be reduced by increased hydrogen radical amount in the trap and/or the atomizer.     

Direct determination of copper and zinc in cow milk, human milk and infant formula samples using electrothermal atomization atomic absorption spectrometry

Infant formula and powdered milk samples were suspended in a medium containing 20% ethanol, 0.65% nitric acid, 6% hydrogen peroxide and 0.1% ammonium dihydrogenphosphate and directly introduced in the electrothermal atomizer. Liquid milk samples were diluted with this suspension solution. The build-up of carbonaceous residues inside the atomizer was avoided by using a combination of hydrogen peroxide and nitric acid. Fast programs were used to simplify the heating cycles. Calibration was carried out using aqueous standards and the detection limits for copper and zinc were found to be 70 and 15 pg, respectively. The metal contents of several milk samples obtained by direct introduction of the samples agree with those obtained by means of a conventional procedure based on the total dissolution of the samples. The reliability of the methods was also confirmed by analyzing three certified reference materials. The free and protein binding fractions were measured by ultrafiltration membrane permeability of the milk samples.     

EDTA滴定法测定含锌物料中氧化锌

采用氯化铵-氨水体系溶解试样,干过滤后,向移取的滤液中加入氯化钡和硫酸共沉淀铅离子,过滤分离硫酸铅沉淀,向滤液中加人抗坏血酸、氟化钾、硫代硫酸钠等掩蔽剂掩蔽少量干扰元素。在pH=5~6的乙酸-乙酸钠缓冲溶液中,以二甲酚橙为指示剂,用EDTA标准滴定溶液滴定测得结果为氧化锌、水溶性锌和镉合量,扣除由原子吸收光谱法测得的水溶性锌量和镉量,即为氧化锌量。对总氨浓度、氯化铵-氨水浓度比、溶液加入量、搅拌时间、共存离子干扰、精密度等进行了实验,建立了EDTA滴定法测定含锌物料中氧化锌物相的分析方法。实验证明,氧化锌含量在24%~83%时,方法精密度(RSD)为0.25%~0.54%,加标回收率在99%~104%,完全满足含锌物料中氧化锌的测定要求。     

Stibine and bismuthine trapping in quartz tube atomizers for atomic absorption spectrometry — Method optimization and analytical applications

The compact trap-and-atomizer device was employed to trap stibine and bismuthine, and subsequently to volatilize collected analyte and atomize it for atomic absorption spectrometric detection. The device is actually the multiple microflame quartz tube atomizer (multiatomizer) with inlet arm modified to serve as the trap and to accommodate the oxygen delivery capillary employed for burning out hydrogen during the trapping step. The optimization of Sb and Bi collection in the device is presented based on a study of the influence of relevant experimental parameters on preconcentration efficiency of both analytes. The parameters studied were: (1) trap temperature during trapping and (2) hydrogen flow rate and (3) trap temperature during volatilization and (4) the stability of the trapped analyte species. Under optimized conditions, the preconcentration efficiency was 100% for both analytes. The trap-and-atomizer device can be replaced by the simple conventional externally heated quartz tube atomizer without any trap as demonstrated on the ultratrace antimony determination in groundwater reference material and mineral water samples. The interference of other hydride forming elements on Bi in-situ collection in the conventional externally heated quartz tube atomizer was investigated.     

Automation of a graphite-furnace atomic absorption spectrometry system with a Z80-based microcomputer

A microprocessor was used to control the operation of an atomic absorption spectrometer and a graphite-furnace atomizer. The system allows complete and flexible control of the graphite furnace heating program and active feedback with an optical temperature sensor, control of purge gas flows, and control of an autosampler. With micro-processor control, the graphite furnace can be heated from 0 to 2500°C in about 3 s with little or no overshoot. Reproducibility data for cadmium to oyster tissue gave relative standard deviations between 1.3 and 3.3% with microprocessor control and between 2.1 and 7.8% without control. Digitized data may be plotted and stored on disk.     

气动雾化进样微波等离子体炬（MPT）原子荧光光谱法测定锌的研究

本文将水溶液雾化进样与微波等离子体炬原子荧光光谱法联用,建立了HCL-MPT-AFS测定Zn的新方法。讨论了实验条件的选择问题以及溶液中共存离子对测定Zn的影响,本文所推荐的方法具有较高的灵敏度和精密度,并将其用于实际样品分析。     

Investigations for the determination of tin by flow injection hydride generation atomic-absorption spectrometry

It could be shown that the pre- or double peaks which are frequently observed in the determination of tin by hydride generation atomic-absorption spectrometry are not due to reagent contamination or memory effects. Rather they originate from the silica material used to make the quartz tube atomizer. At elevated temperatures the tin diffuses to the surface and it can be volatilized and atomized only in the presence of hydrogen. The height of the pre-peak depends, among other things, on the time for which the quartz tube atomizer has been at a high temperature without hydrogen. The pre-peaks disappear when argon with 10% (v/v) hydrogen is used as the purge gas. In flow injection the pre-peaks can be separated in time from the analytical signal by using a program in which hydrogen is generated by reaction of sodium tetrahydroborate reluctant solution with the acid carrier prior to the injection of the sample. Also investigated was the influence of the acid and sodium tetrahydroborate concentration on sensitivity and freedom from interferences. Best results were obtained when a saturated boric acid solution containing 0.1M hydrochloric acid was used for standards, samples and carrier solution, and a 0.4% (m/v) sodium tetrahydroborate solution with 0.05% (m/v) sodium hydroxide as the reluctant. Under these conditions tin could be determined accurately in the range 0.008-0.1% in low alloy steel standard reference materials, with matrix-free standard solutions for calibration.     

Direct determination of cadmium and copper in seawater using a transversely heated graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometer with Zeeman-effect background corrector

Methods for the direct determination of copper and cadmium in seawater were described using a graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometer (GFAAS) equipped with a transversely heated graphite atomizer (THGA) and a longitudinal Zeeman effect background corrector. Ammonium nitrate was used as the chemical modifier to determine copper. The mixture of di-ammonium hydrogen phosphate and ammonium nitrate was used as the chemical modifier to determine cadmium. The matrix interference was removed completely so that a simple calibration curve method could be applied. This work is the first one with the capability of determining cadmium in unpolluted seawater directly with GFAAS using calibration curve based on simple aqueous standards. The accuracy of the methods was confirmed by analysis of three kinds of certified reference saline waters. The detection limits (LODs), with injection of a 20-mul aliquot of seawater sample, were 0.06 mug l(-1) for copper and 0.005 mug l(-1) for cadmium.     

Determination of vanadium in heavy oils by atomic absorption spectrometry using a graphite furnace coated with tungsten.

A simple and rapid method was established for the direct determination of vanadium in an oil sample using the tungsten-coated graphite-furnace AAS. The interference of the sulfur compound could be suppressed by choosing the ashing temperature. If the sulfur concentration in the sample is diluted to 1.0 wt% or less, the interference can be suppressed. This proposed method should make important contributions to the quality control of petroleum refineries.     

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 .