Trace metal analyses in octocorals by microwave acid digestion and graphite furnace atomic-absorption spectrometry

Eight octocoral species from two reefs off the Venezuelan coast were analyzed to determine their Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn content. A microwave sample work-up procedure, including drying and acid digestion, was developed and found to be faster and more convenient than conventional methods. Accurate and precise results were obtained for the determination of the metals of interest, using graphite furnace atomic-absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) with L'vov platforms. The accuracy of the results was checked against synthetic standards prepared to simulate the matrix of the analyzed octocoral species. Standard deviation values for synthetically prepared standards were less than 1% in all cases. On the other hand, standard deviations for sample results were considerably higher due to heterogeneity of the samples and environmental conditions at the sampling sites.     

A method for removal of chloride interference in determination of aluminium by atomic-absorption spectrometry with a graphite furnace

Methods for removal of the chloride interferences in determination of aluminium by atomic-absorption spectrometry with a graphite furnace have been investigated. Two mechanisms of chloride interference have been established. The first arises from co-ordination of the chloride to aluminium. This interference can be removed by preventing the co-ordination. The other is due to co-existing chloride salts remaining until the atomization step. This interference can be removed by volatilizing the chloride or by converting it and/or aluminium chloride into another substance such as the oxides before the atomization step. The tetra-ammonium salt of EDTA is very suitable as an additive to overcome chloride interference because of its ability to co-ordinate aluminium and other cations, and also its effect when heated.     

Determination of mercury in environmental samples by cold vapour generation and atomic-absorption spectrometry with a gold-coated graphite furnace

Mercury is determined at below the pg/ml level by a combination of cold vapour generation, trapping in a gold-coated graphite furnace and atomic-absorption detection. The mercury is reduced to the element by stannous chloride, stripped from solution by a stream of nitrogen and collected on a gold-coated porous graphite disk in a graphite furnace. It is then atomized by increasing the graphite furnace temperature and detected by an atomic-absorption spectrophotometer. The absolute detection limit and the characteristic mass were found to be 5 and 20 pg for 0.0044 absorbance, respectively. The concentration limit of detection was 0.1 pg/ml for a 50-ml sample, and the linear dynamic range covered three orders of magnitude. The precisions of the measurements were 2.7% for 0.1 ng and 2.6% for 2 ng of mercury. Analyses of NBS and NIES reference materials showed quantitative recovery. Analytical results obtained by the technique are presented for natural waters, marine biota and sediments.     

Determination of tin in lead/tin solder leachates from copper piping by graphite platform furnace atomic-absorption spectrometry

A stabilized-temperature platform furnace/atomic-absorption spectrophotometric(STPF-AAS) method has been developed for the determination of tin leached from lead/tin-soldered copper pipes. The method involves the use of a modifier composed of diammonium hydrogen phosphate, magnesium nitrate and nitric acid. Aqueous tin standards in the composite matrix modifier are used for calibration. The characteristic mass and detection limit (three standard deviations of the blank) for peak-height measurement of tin are 5 pg and 1.7 microgl., respectively. The corresponding peak-area values are 26.8 pg and 12.8 microgl., respectively. The accuracy, precision, and interferences (especially of sulphate) have been assessed.     

Studies of atomization from a graphite platform in graphite-furnace atomic-absorption spectrometry

A theoretical model has been proposed for the transient characteristics of an atomic-absorption pulse generated by atomization from a graphite platform in a pulse-heated graphite-furnace atomic-absorption spectrometer. The model has been used (with the aid of a computer program) to predict the effects of various factors on analyte atom populations as a function of time. The various factors studied were heating rate, initial temperature of the graphite tube wall, platform mass and thickness, and activation energy for the rate-determining step in the reaction sequence leading to atom formation. The results predicted by the model are in reasonable agreement with the experimental results obtained by using lead as the analyte element.     

Determination of total tin in geological materials by electrothermal atomic-absorption spectrophotometry using a tungsten-impregnated graphite furnace

An electrothermal atomic-absorption spectrophotometric method is described for the determination of total tin in geological materials, with use of a tungsten-impregnated graphite furnace. The sample is decomposed by fusion with lithium metaborate and the melt is dissolved in 10% hydrochloric acid. Tin is then extracted into trioctylphosphine oxide-methyl isobutyl ketone prior to atomization. Impregnation of the furnace with a sodium tungstate solution increases the sensitivity of the determination and improves the precision of the results. The limits of determination are 0.5-20 ppm of tin in the sample. Higher tin values can be determined by dilution of the extract. Replicate analyses of eighteen geological reference samples with diverse matrices gave relative standard deviations ranging from 2.0 to 10.8% with an average of 4.6%. Average tin values for reference samples were in general agreement with, but more precise than, those reported by others. Apparent recoveries of tin added to various samples ranged from 95 to 111% with an average of 102%.     

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。     

Mechanism of modification by palladium in graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

The effects of palladium and mixtures containing palladium on the absorbance characteristics of lead, thallium, cadmium, selenium, manganese and cobalt are described. These data, together with results of scanning electron microscopy showing the distribution of palladium on the graphite surface, indicate that palladium has a physical mechanism of analyte modification. During furnace heating, the analyte dissolves in molten palladium and may combine with it chemically. However, the rate limiting step leading to atomization appears to be diffusion of the analyte from palladium. The addition of magnesium, molybdenum or powdered carbon increases the speed of diffusion by causing palladium to form smaller droplets, and hence produces sharper absorbance peaks. Palladium becomes less effective as the atomization temperature increases, because the rate of diffusion is higher. This accounts for palladium having only a small stabilizing effect on less volatile elements such as manganese and cobalt. The addition of ascorbic acid to palladium has no significant effect on its modifying properties in a dilute nitric acid matrix. Results of kinetic studies on the atomization of gold are consistent with analyte diffusion out of palladium as the rate-limiting step leading to atomization.     

Periodic trends in sensitivity and its dependence on the properties of pyrolytic and non-pyrolytic graphite in graphite-furnace atomic-absorption spectrometry

The sensitivities for metal determination by GFAAS in the peak-height and integration modes were examined with pyrolytic graphite (PG) and non-pyrolytic graphite (NPG) tubes for 34 elements. It was found that there are periodic trends of the mole sensitivity and the elements can be classified according to whether their sensitivity of determination is enhanced by use of (a) the PG tube (alkali, alkaline-earth and transition metals); (b) the NPG tube (semi-metals); about equally by both tubes (Mg, Zn, Cd, and Pb). The mole sensitivity pM for atomic-absorption spectrometry (AAS) was defined as pM = -log(m(h)/A(w)) where m(h) is the weight of an element corresponding to 1% absorption and A(w) is the atomic weight. It was found that the pM values for graphite furnace AAS have a periodic trend similar to that for flame AAS and atomic-fluorescence spectrometry.     

Use of a furnace alignment jig to to decrease errors associated with background-correction in graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

The jig is used to align the beams from the analyte hollow-cathode lamp and the background-correction lamp. Gold or non-absorbing lead atomic lines are used for assessing background absorbance from sodium chloride. Correction accuracies approaching 100% are achieved.     

Sequential testing as an efficient screening method for interferences in routine analysis as applied to atomic-absorption spectrometry with flame and graphite furnace atomization

Reliable standardization is a serious problem for most analytical methods. In spite of extensive work on interferences, the results are not suited for prediction of gross errors in any particular case. This paper is intended to show the power of sequential testing in practical atomic-absorption spectrometric analyses for the efficient detection of interferences causing changes in sensitivity; this test is carried out by comparing the sensitivity of the standard with the sensitivity for the sample, as determined by the difference between the signals for the spiked and unspiked samples. The simple computations can be carried out instantly and experimentation is terminated as soon as a conclusion can be drawn. The major advantage over the traditional tests lies in the smaller number of independent measurements, requiring less time and sample. Three separate cases are discussed: with the mean sensitivity of the standard known and the deviation expected to occur in one direction only (single-sided alternative hypothesis); with the standard deviation of the determination known and the deviation possibly occurring in both directions (double-sided alternative hypothesis); and with the mean and the standard deviation unknown but estimated during the test (sequential t-test). It is shown that assumptions about the normal distribution of the data do not impose serious restrictions in practical AAS work.     

Effect of the chemical species of arsenic on sensitivity in graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry.

The sensitivity of graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) to arsenobetaine (AB) was 1.3-times higher than to inorganic As. In order to understand the mechanism underlying this observation, the atomization processes for both chemical species were investigated in terms of the enthalpy change (DeltaH) during the atomization process in GFAAS. The enthalpy change of AB was slightly lower than that of inorganic As, which suggested that AB was atomized more efficiently than was inorganic As. Moreover, it was observed that some co-existing organic materials enhanced the analytical sensitivity of inorganic As. The sensitivity difference between inorganic As and AB depended upon the mechanisms of their atomization processes.     

Atomization from a tantalum surface in graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

The mechanism of atom formation of U, V, Mo, Ni, Mn, Cu and Mg atomized from pyrolytic graphite and tantalum metal surfaces has been studied. The mechanism of atom formation for U from a graphite tube atomizer is reported for the first time. The peak absorbance for U and Cu is increased by factors of 59.7 and 2.0, respectively, whereas that of V, Mo and Ni is reduced by several orders of magnitude when they are atomized from a tantalum metal surface. The peak absorbance of Mn and Mg is not appreciably affected by the material of the atomization surface. Interaction of Mn and Mg with the graphite surface and formation of their refractory carbides was found to be negligible. Uranium forms a refractory carbide when heated from a graphite surface.     

石墨炉原子吸收法测定3-苯基丙烯酸酯类化合物中微量钯

利用高灵敏的石墨炉原子吸收法,在V(HCl):V(HNO3):V(H2O)＝5:1:94混合酸介质中测定苯基丙烯酸酯类化合物中的钯量.已纯化样品钯量的平均值是6.76 μg/g,标准相对偏差是4.8%,平均回收率为99.3%;未纯化样品钯量的平均值是121.2 μg/g,平均相对偏差是5.4%.还讨论酸介质对测定钯吸光度的影响,通过比较找到了合适的酸介质组成.     

石墨炉原子吸收法测定石脑油中微量砷

试样用四氢呋喃（THF）有机溶剂稀释,以硝酸镍为基体改进剂,研究采用石墨炉原子吸收法直接进样测定石脑油中的砷量。研究表明,砷量在0～50μg／L范围内线性关系良好,回收率93％～104％。