Determination of Se,Pb, and Sb by atomic fluorescence spectrometry using a new flameless,dielectric barrier discharge atomizer

A flameless atomizer for atomic fluorescence spectrometry (AFS), based on an atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge, has been developed for the atomization of hydride-forming elements, such as Se, Sb and Pb. The atomizer (8 mm o.d, 35 mm length) was operated at a power less than 50 W. The discharge was sustained with argon at the flow rate of 0.85 L min^− 1 after optimization. The characteristics of the atomizer and the effects of different parameters (power, gas flow rate, and KBH₄ concentration) are investigated. The most attractive feature of this atomizer is its low operation temperature (~ 52 °C, detected at the outlet of the atomizer by a thermocouple), allowing both the radiation source and the detector to be placed in close proximity with the atomizer. The analytical performance of the atomizer has been evaluated, and detection limits for Se, Sb and Pb obtained with the present technique were 0.08, 0.11 and 0.27 μg L^− 1, respectively. The accuracy of the system was verified by the determination of Se, Sb and Pb in reference material of spinage GBW 10015. The concentrations of Se, Sb, and Pb determined by the present technique agreed well with the reference values (Se: 92 ± 24 mg kg^− 1, Sb: 43 ± 14 mg kg^− 1, Pb: 11.1 ± 0.9 mg kg^− 1). This detector is very promising for field elements detection with portable AFS.     

Evaluation of a hydride generation-atomic fluorescence system for the determination of arsenic using a dielectric barrier discharge atomizer

A new atomizer based on atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma was specially designed for atomic fluorescence spectrometry (AFS) in order to be applied to the measurement of arsenic. The characteristics of the DBD atomizer and the effects of different parameters (power, discharge gas, gas flow rate, and KBH₄ concentration) were discussed in the paper. The DBD atomizer shows the following features: (1) low operation temperature (between 44 and 70 °C, depending on the operation conditions); (2) low power consumption; (3) operation at atmospheric pressure. The detection limit of As(III) using hydride generation (HG) with the proposed DBD-AFS was 0.04 μg L⁻¹. The analytical results obtained by the present method for total arsenic in reference materials, orchard leaves (SRM 1571) and water samples GBW(E) 080390, agree well with the certified values. The present HG-DBD-AFS is more sensitive and reliable for the determination of arsenic. It is a very promising technique allowing for field arsenic analysis based on atomic spectrometry.     

Determination of selenium in vegetables by hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry

A digestion mixture of H₂SO₄/HNO₃/H₂O₂/HF/V₂O₅ was investigated for decomposition of plant samples and sensitive detection of selenium was achieved by hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry (HG-AFS). The method was found to be accurate and reproducible, with a low detection limit (DL) (0.14 ng g⁻¹ solution). The repeatability of the determination was mostly around 10%, the reproducibility over a period of 8 months for determination of selenium in the standard reference material Trace Elements in Spinach Leaves, NIST 1570a, was 9% and the relative measurement uncertainty was 7% using a coverage factor of 2.3 at 95% probability. The average recovery of the whole procedure was 90%. The characteristics of this method are simple and inexpensive equipment, low consumption of chemicals and the ability to analyse many samples in a short time. The whole procedure was carried out in the same PTFE tube, and in addition only a simple cleaning procedure is needed. As a consequence of all these advantages, the described method is suitable for environmental and nutritional studies. The selenium content was determined in 44 vegetable samples from different regions of Slovenia and the contents found were in the range 0.3-77 ng g⁻¹ wet weight.     

Simultaneous determination of arsenic and antimony by hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry with dielectric barrier discharge atomizer

Simultaneous determination of As and Sb by hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry was developed with the dielectric barrier discharge plasma as the hydride atomizer. The low-temperature and atmospheric-pressure micro-plasma was generated in a quartz cylindrical configuration device, which was constructed by an axial internal electrode and an outer electrode surrounding outside of the tube. The optimization of the atomizer construction and parameters for hydride generation and fluorescence detection systems were carried out. Under the optimized conditions, the detection limits for As and Sb were 0.04 and 0.05 μg L⁻¹, respectively. In addition, the applicability of the present method was confirmed by the detection of As and Sb in reference materials of quartz sandstone (GBW07106) and argillaceous limestone (GBW07108). The present work provided a new approach to exploit the miniaturized hydride generation dielectric barrier discharge atomic fluorescence spectrometry system for simultaneous multi-element determination.     

Flame-in-gas-shield miniature flame hydride atomizers for ultra trace element determination by chemical vapor generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry

Flame-in-gas shield miniature hydride atomizers (FIGS) have been investigated and evaluated in view of their alternative use to miniature diffusion flame hydride atomizer (MDF) to determination of hydride forming elements by atomic fluorescence spectrometry (AFS). Chemical vapour generation (CVG) by aqueous phase derivatization by NaBH₄ in a continuous flow generator (CF) was employed for the generation of volatile hydrides of As, Sb, Bi, Se, Te and Sn. A dispersive AFS apparatus using electrodeless discharge lamps (EDL) as the excitation sources has been employed for both spectra acquisition and analytical determinations. The characteristics of FIGS in terms of background emission spectra, most intense AF spectral lines and limits of detection were compared with those of most popular MDF. FIGS presents a lower background emission with respect to MDF, allowing also the control of the molecular fluorescence of OH radicals in the determination of bismuth. Limits of detection for FIGS compare very well with to those obtained by MDF giving improvement factor of 5.5, 4.4, 3.6, 3.6, 0.7 an 0.5 for Bi, As, Se, Son, Te and Sb. Accuracy of FIGS has proven by determination of arsenic and antimony in seawater (NASS-5) and river water (SRLS-4) certified reference materials and bismuth in unalloyed copper (CuV 398, CuVI 399) standard reference materials by dispersive CVG-AFS.     

Determination of zinc in food using atomic fluorescence spectrometry by hydride generation from organized media

A method was proposed for the determination of zinc by atomic fluorescence spectrometry with hydride generation from surfactant-based organized media. The ability of different nature micelles to improve hydride generation of zinc was investigated using an intermittent flow hydride generator and the possible mechanism was discussed. The advantages of hydride generation from the organized media of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) were contrasted with that from aqueous media in sensitivity and precision of the zinc determination. The micellar media of CTAB improved the hydride generation processes of zinc both thermodynamically and kinetically. In addition some transition metals, presumably metal borides, were found to catalyze the hydrogenation of zinc. The proposed method has been validated by the determination of zinc in the certified reference materials using the standard addition method with satisfactory result.     

Determination of total arsenic in seawater by hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry

In this work, the determination of total As in seawater by hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry was studied. The influence of the chemical, flow and instrumental parameters were investigated and optimized. The pre-reduction of As(V) to As(III) was performed using KI plus ascorbic acid in 3.5 mol L^− 1 HCl medium. No multiplicative interference was present and external aqueous calibration could be used. The limit of detection was 36 ng L^− 1, while the repeatability was 2% (n = 10), at a 500 ng L^− 1 concentration level. The sample throughput was 15 h^− 1 if triplicate measurements were made. The accuracy was assessed by the analysis of a seawater certified reference material and excellent agreement between the obtained and certified values was verified. The procedure was used for the analysis of seawater offshore samples collected at the Brazilian coast and results ranging from 860 to 1200 ng L^− 1 were found.     

Comparison of pre-reducing agents for antimony determination by hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry

A systematic study of antimony reduction prior to its determination by hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry (HG-AFS) was carried out. The efficiency of l-cysteine, potassium iodide and potassium iodide/ascorbic acid was studied for this purpose. The hydride generation step was optimised in the presence of those pre-reductors. From the results, l-cysteine was found to be the most suitable pre-reducing agent. Methodology was validated, obtaining detection limits lower than 90 ng l⁻¹ and repeatability and reproducibility better than 3% R.S.D. and 5% R.S.D., respectively, in all cases. In order to evaluate the methodology developed and the influence of the matrix, recovery from waters from different sources was tested by HG-AFS and also by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Accuracy was assessed by analysing three water reference materials at different antimony concentration levels. The high sensitivity of the developed methodology enables it to be applied for monitoring drinking waters according to the maximum admissible concentration of antimony established by the EU Directives.     

Determination of arsenic in dinosaur skeleton fossils by hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry

Hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry was for the first time utilized to determine trace toxic element arsenic in the skeleton fossils of four dinosaurs unearthed in Sichuan Province of China. The instrumental limit of detection (LOD) for arsenic was 0.03 μg/L under optimal experimental conditions, which compared favorably to that by ICP-AES and ETAAS. The samples were digested with aqua regia in boiling water bath. The recoveries of standard addition were found to be from 97 to 109%, and the analytical results were found in good agreement with those by ICP-AES. It is a simple, reliable, sensitive yet relatively inexpensive analytical method, compared to ICP-AES, ICP-MS or ETAAS. Interesting analytical results were found that the arsenic concentrations were all abnormally high in the skeleton fossils. The established analytical method and the analytical results may be helpful in revealing the mystery of the mass extinction of the dinosaur fauna. The analytical results, together with other data available to date, supported the argument that the arsenic toxicosis could be a contributing factor for the mass extinction of the dinosaur fauna in Sichuan Province of China.     

电磁感应在线消化-原子荧光光谱法测定茶水中的砷

利用电磁感应加热原理,研制了在线消化还原、氢化物发生原子荧光法分析装置,实现了茶水中As量的在线测定.对各种实验参数和干扰情况进行了研究.方法的检出限为0.063 μg/L;样品分析精密度(RSD)为2.5%(n=11).     

Application of photochemical reactions of Se in natural waters by hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry

A simple, sensitive and accurate method for selenium speciation in natural waters is proposed. The principle of this method is based on recently discovered photochemical reactions of Se(IV) and organic selenium in different aqueous solutions. The speciation of all selenium species was performed with hydride generation-atomic fluorescence spectrometry. Only one pre-reduction step is needed in this procedure, which can greatly reduce the risk of contamination, minimize the analytical work and improve the quality of selenium speciation. In this paper, a comparison is made between the proposed method and a previous method [A.G. Cutter, Anal. Chim. Acta 98 (1978) 59]. In this proposed protocol, Se(IV) was directly measured in 3.0 M HCl. Se(IV) + org-Se was measured directly after a UV irradiation (300 nm) for 2.5 h in a 1.0% (v/v) HNO₃-2.0% (v/v) HCl matrix. Total selenium was obtained in another aliquot sample after a UV irradiation in the 3.0 M HCl. No pre-concentration, separation or more sophisticated instruments are required.     

Determination of As, Sb, Se, Te and Bi in milk by slurry sampling hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry

A simple and fast analytical procedure has been developed for the determination of As, Sb, Se, Te and Bi in milk samples by hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry (HG-AFS). Samples were treated with aqua regia for 10 min in an ultrasound water bath and pre-reduced with KBr for total Se and Te determination or with KI and ascorbic acid for total As and Sb, the determination of Bi being possible in all with or without pre-reduction. Slurries of samples, in the presence of antifoam A, were treated with NaBH₄ in HCl medium to obtain the corresponding hydrides, and AFS measurements were processed in front of external calibrations prepared and measured in the same way as samples. Results obtained by the developed procedure compare well with those found after microwave-assisted complete digestion of samples. The proposed method is simple and fast, and only 1 ml of milk is needed. The values obtained for detection limit are 2.5, 1.6, 3, 6 and 7 ng l⁻¹ for As, Sb, Se, Te and Bi respectively in the diluted samples, with average relative standard deviation values of 3.8, 3.1, 1.9, 6.4 and 1.2% for three independent analysis of a series of commercially available samples of different origin. Data found in Spanish market samples varied from 3.2±0.3 to 11.3±0.2 ng g⁻¹ As, from 3.1±0.2 to 11.6±0.4 ng g⁻¹ Sb, from 10.7±0.5 to 25.5±0.4 ng g⁻¹ Se, from 0.9±0.2 to 9.4±0.6 ng g⁻¹ Te and from 11.5±0.1 to 27.7±0.4 ng g⁻¹ Bi.     

氢化物发生-原子荧光光谱法测定中草药中的微量砷

研究了氢化物发生-原子荧光光谱法测定中草药中微量砷的方法的最佳条件，以50g／L硫脲 50g／L抗坏血酸为预还原抗干扰剂，测定了10种中草药药品中的砷，方法检出限(3σ)为0．103μg/L，相对标准偏差为1．6％-3.2％，回收率为89．2％-112％。     

顺序注射氢化物发生-原子荧光光谱法同时测定硒和砷的研究

建立了一种顺序注射氢化物发生-原子荧光光谱法测定试样中Se和As的方法,同时讨论了共存离子的干扰情况.在最佳实验条件下,Se和As的检出限分别为0.16和0.095 μg/L,加标回收率为92.4%～104.7%.     

Determination of tin in steels by non-dispersive atomic fluorescence spectrometry coupled with flow-injection hydride generation in the presence of L-cysteine

Flow-injection hydride generation has been coupled with a non-dispersive atomic fluorescence spectrometer for the determination of trace concentrations of tin. The use of L-cysteine in stannane generation enhances the atomic fluorescence signal for tin. In addition, it appears that the flow-injection method allows the use of a wider range of acid concentrations, and hence interference from transition elements is also reduced. An absolute detection limit of 1.3 ng was achieved with a 0.5 ml sample. Ten determinations of a solution containing 100 ng ml⁻¹ of tin(H) generated a relative standard deviation of 1.8%. The linear dynamic range of the calibration curve extended over three orders of magnitude and sample throughput rate was 144 samples h⁻¹. Application of the proposed technique is demonstrated by the determination of tin in low alloy steel standard reference materials.     

流动注射在线共沉淀HG-AFS测定痕量铅

建立了流动注射在线共沉淀HG-AFS测定痕量铅的分析方法。方法基于铅在碱性介质中与氢氧化镁共沉淀，沉淀收集在锥形沉淀腔中，用HCl溶洗沉淀和NaBH4反应，产生的氢化物被载气引入原子化器中进行测定。测定铅的RSD为3％(5ng/mL，n=10)，检出限为0．01ng。检出限较直接进样降低了11倍。对国家标准物质中铅的测定结果与标准值相符。     

Inter-element interferences in the determination of arsenic and antimony by hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry with a quartz tube atomizer

The interferences between arsenic and antimony on each other during the hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry (HGAAS) determination of arsenic and antimony using a quartz tube atomizer (QTA) were examined. In order to eliminate or reduce such interferences by selective heat decomposition of arsine and stibine, a Pyrex adsorption U-tube trap containing glass wool was placed between the drying tube and the quartz tube atomizer. Although at 250 °C stibine decomposes and is held almost completely by the trap, arsine is also decomposed to an extent of 24% and, therefore, thermal decomposition is not useful to eliminate antimony interference on arsenic determination. The effect of coating the glass wool in the U-tube with antimony on the arsenic suppression of the antimony signal was studied. The results showed that the antimony coating in the U-tube could not hold arsenic effectively and its interference on the antimony signal could not be eliminated by this means. In the second part of the study, oxygen was supplied to the quartz tube atomizer during atomization in order to study the effect of supplying oxygen on the antimony signal and on the interference of arsenic in the antimony determination. Sensitivity was increased in the presence of oxygen and interferences of arsenic on antimony determination was decreased by about 10% when oxygen was supplied. It was also observed that the extent of interferences depended mainly on the interferent concentration rather than the analyte concentration.     

Ultrasensitive determination of mercury by solution anode glow discharge atomic emission spectrometry coupled with hydride generation

An innovative method for the ultrasensitive detection of mercury by solution anode glow discharge atomic emission spectroscopy (SAGD-AES) coupled with hydride generation (HG) was first investigated. In this method, the mercury vapor generated by the HG was transmitted to the SAGD through the miniature hollow tungsten tube for excitation and detected by a miniaturized spectrograph. A thorough parametric evaluation of the HG and SAGD system was performed, including the type and concentration of carrier acid, He flow rate, concentrations of NaBH₄, discharge current and discharge gap. Under optimal operating conditions, the detection limit for Hg²⁺ achieved 0.03 μg/L, with a relative standard deviation of 1.1% at the Hg²⁺ concentration of 5 μg/L. Moreover, the correlation coefficient of the calibration curve was 0.9996 in the range between 0.1 and 10 μg/L. The accuracy and practicability of HG-SAGD-AES were verified by measuring GBW09101b (human hair), GBW10029 (fish), soil and rice samples. The results showed good agreement with the certified values and values from direct mercury analyzer (DMA).     

HCl沉淀分离-氢化物发生-原子荧光光谱法测定银锭中锑和铋

采用氢化物发生-原子荧光光谱法同时测定银锭中铋和锑。用HCl沉淀分离银,滤液还原后利用氢化物发生-原子荧光光谱法测定铋和锑。方法检出限:Bi和Sb分别为0.02mg/kg和0.002mg/kg;回收率91%～96%;RSD小于1.2%。方法能同时准确测定铋和锑且检出限极低,测定结果与国家标准方法一致。     

A metallic furnace atomizer in hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry: Determination of bismuth and selenium

A flow injection hydride generation system with a metal furnace atomizer (Inconel 600® alloy) was employed for Bi and Se determination. The presented methods have linear ranges up to 200 and 500 μg L^− 1 for Bi and Se, respectively, with good linearities (r² = 0.9997 and 0.9974, respectively). The limits of quantification obtained according to IUPAC recommendations were 2.3 μg L^− 1 for Bi and 6 μg L^− 1 for Se, and the relative standard deviations (N = 6) based on Bi and Se analytical responses from real samples were 2.7% and 10%, respectively. Accuracy evaluations were based on certified materials such as SRM 361, SRM 363, and SRM 364 (steel alloys) for Bi, Mess-3 (marine sediment), SRM 397 (human hair), and Bio-Rad2 — 69042 (urine) for Se. Good agreements between the results were obtained at the 95% confidence level, according to the t-test.