Flame atomic absorption spectrometric determination of cadmium and copper in biological reference materials using on-line sorbent extraction preconcentration

Summary Cadmium and copper at the g/g to ng/g level in plant and animal tissue reference materials, and at the g/l level in urine were determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry using on-line sorbent extraction preconcentration based on flow injection techniques. Bonded silica reversed phase sorbent with octadecyl functional groups (RP-C 18), packed in a 100 l column, was used to collect the diethylammonium-N,N-diethyldithiocarbamate (DDTC) complex formed on-line in the sample digests at low pH. Methanol was used to elute the analyte chelates directly into the nebulizer-burner system of the spectrometer. Small air segments introduced before and after elution prevented the eluent from mixing with the sample solution and increased the sensitivity. A sampling frequency of 85/h could be obtained with a sample loading time of 30 s at a flow rate of 4.0 ml/min. The enrichment factor for both elements was 20 and the enhancement factors, including the effect of the organic solvent and with the flow spoiler removed, were 126 and 114 for cadmium and copper, respectively. The detection limits (3) were 0.15 g/l for cadmium and 0.2 g/l for copper. The precision was 2.3% and 1.4% r.s.d. for 10 g/l Cd and 45 g/l Cu, respectively (n=11). Results for the determination of cadmium and copper in various biological reference materials were typically in good agreement with certified values. Low recoveries were observed, however, for cadmium in samples containing high levels of copper and/or iron, such as bovine liver.On leave from Flow Injection Analysis Research Center, Institute of Applied Ecology, Academia Sinica, Shenyang, China     

Application of standard materials and standard reference materials in the analysis of lead in blood

Summary Valuable information can be obtained at little expenses from quality control samples prepared in-house to monitor the determination of blood lead by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Commercially manufactured control materials can also be used for this purpose. These materials are compared to standard reference materials which at present are available.The relative standard deviations for analysis of NBS standard reference materials were 15.4–2.8% (range 60–754 g/l) and in agreement with the relative standard deviation estimated for the analytical method. The corresponding figures for BCR control reference materials were lower: 1.1–1.4% (range 134–795 g/l).The average analytical bias demonstrated by analysis of NBS standard reference material and BCR control reference material were 3–6% (range 795–60 g/l) and in agreement with bias estimated by analysis of commercially manufactured and in-house prepared control materials.     

Development of mycotoxin reference materials

Summary The analytical difficulties in mycotoxin determination have given rise to the development of mycotoxin reference materials by the European Community Bureau of Reference (BCR) in cooperation with several European Laboratories, among them the National Institute of Public Health and Environmental Protection. The first project undertaken concerned four milk powders certified for their aflatoxin M₁ content (concentrations 0, 0.1, 0.3 and 0.8 g/ kg). Projects that are well-advanced include two peanut meals (aflatoxin B₁ contents 0 and ca. 200 g/kg) and two compounded animal feedingstuffs (aflatoxin B₁ contents 0 and 10 g/kg). Mycotoxin reference materials are also under development for zearalenone in wheat and maize, and for ochratoxin A in wheat.The general approach followed in the development and certification of mycotoxin reference materials (preparation, testing for homogeneity and stability, intercomparisons of methods and certification exercise) will be discussed and exemplified with the help of the completed project on aflatoxin M₁ in milk powder.

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Entwicklung von Mycotoxin-Referenzmaterialien

     

Certified reference materials (CRM 408 and 409) for quality control of main components (ammonium, calcium, hydronium, magnesium, nitrate, potassium, sodium and sulphate) in simulated rain water

Analyses of rainwater are routinely performed by a number of organisations to monitor the contribution from rainwater to the component occurrences in the environment and the acidification of the environment. To control the quality of such determinations, the Community Bureau of Reference (BCR) has organised a certification campaign to produce two simulated rainwater reference materials (CRM 408, low mineral content and CRM 409, high mineral content). The materials were carefully prepared (addition of pro analysis and supra pure reagents with the mentioned elements to silica-free deionised water) and its homogeneity and long-term stability were verified. The materials were certified for their contents of ammonium (106 mol/kg) (CRM 409), calcium (7.68 and 15.5 mol/kg), chloride (67.3 and 113 mol/kg), hydronium (16.6 and 48.0 mol/kg), magnesium (6.14 and 12.3 mol/kg), nitrate (20.1 and 78.1 mol/kg), potassium (4.25 mol/kg) (CRM 409), sodium (42.0 and 82.9 mol/kg) and sulphate (10.5 and 53.2 mol/kg). Indicative values (not certified) are given for ammonium and potassium in CRM 408. This paper presents the certification work performed, as well as the analytical work for the certification of the contents of relevant species.     

Determination of minor element concentrations in reference materials

It has been shown, for a Pb isotopic reference material and for natural Cd, that total evaporation with integrating mass spectrometric measurement allows the determination of isotope ratios of these elements with sufficient accuracy and reproducibility. It is possible to use the method in carefully selected cases for IDA-TIMS measurements without the application of bias factors derived from isotopic reference material measurements. IDA-TIMS measurements were used for the determination of Cd (40–400 g/g) in polyethylene and Cd (10 g/g), Pb (500 g/g), Ga (150 g/g) and Zn (2000 g/g) in the Al alloy AlCuMg2. Relative standard deviations (n=5) were between 1.2% to 2.4% in the first case and 0.3% for Cd, 0.4% for Ga, 0.14% for Pb, 0.6% for Zn in the second. Deviations from the certified values were between 0.8% and 1.4% in the first case. The four concentration values contributed to the AlCuMg2 certification measurements but deviated from the finally certified values as follows: Cd+1.0%, Ga–1.6%, Pb–0.9% and Zn+10%.     

Certification of reference materials by European Commission services

The programmes of the European Commission for the certification of reference materials are presented: the Standards, Measurement and Testing Programme (formerly BCR Programme) funds research and development aiming at improved ability to measure and at improved comparability of measurements; reference materials result from many of its projects; the Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements (formerly CBNM) prepares some of these, stores nearly all of them, will distribute them from 1995 on and certifies some additional ones. The principles adopted for the certification of BCR reference materials are explained. The procedure for a typical matrix reference material is that a group of laboratories first refines their methods (e.g. by intercomparisons and technical discussion) until they achieve agreement of results to within random experimental error and then analyses the reference material; certified value and uncertainty are calculated on the basis of their results. Recent achievements and projects in progress are listed.     

Determination of magnesium in botanical reference materials by instrumental neutron activation analysis

Instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) was applied to the rapid determination of magnesium in the botanical reference materials Beech Leaves-100 and Spruce Needles-101. The magnesium content was quantitatively determined by measuring the gamma-ray photopeak at 1014 keV of the short-lived radionuclide²⁷Mg (9.46 m). The magnesium concentrations in the two materials were found to be 834.6±50.2 g·g^–1 dry weight and 618.6±36.2 g·g^–1, respectively. When assaying a 0.1 g sample under the same experimental conditions the limit of detection is 30 g of Mg.Work carried out at Risø National Laboratory, Isotopes Division, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark.     

Determination of lead in environmental reference materials (plant materials) by slurry-ETA-AAS

Slurry-ETA-AAS is used to determine lead in plant materials. The stability of the slurry was studied and it was shown that, when NH₄H₂PO₄ modifier is added, the shape of the time resolved absorbance signal for the sample and the standards is similar and the calibration line obtained using aqueous standards is parallel to the standard addition line. Results obtained for several reference materials (lead contents between 6.1 and 64.4 g/g) were in good agreement with the certified value, the relative standard deviation being 3–9%.     

Simultaneous determination of copper,mercury and lead by first-order derivative spectrophotometry using dithizone as reagent

A first-order derivative spectrophotometric method has been developed for the simultaneous determination of copper, mercury and lead at g/L levels using dithizone as reagent. The procedure involves the simultaneous extraction of these elements by dithizone in chloroform from weakly alkaline solutions. Linear calibration curves were obtained in the ranges 0.5–10 (Cu), 1–10 (Hg) and 1–10 (Pb) g present in 40 ml of aqueous phase with detection limits of 5 g/L (Cu) and 20 g/L (Hg and Pb). The R.S.D.s for 100 g/L of copper, mercury and lead were 2.5, 2.6 and 3.1% respectively, for 5 determinations. The method is applicable for the determination of copper and lead in marine sediment samples with good precision and accuracy.     

Determination of Cd,Mo, Cr and Co in biological materials by RNAA

A method for the determination of trace amounts of Mo, Cd, Co and Cr in biological materials by neutron activation analysis with radiochemical separation is presented. The method is based on the ion-exchange scheme developed by SAMSAHL, where Co and Cr are trapped on BioRad Chelex-100 and Cd and Mo on BioRad AG2X8. The elements Mo, Cd and Co can be determined without systematic errors. For the element chromium the situation is less clear, partially due to lack of sufficient certified reference materials for Cr. The method has been used in the characterization of candidate reference materials. Detection limits in these materials range from 1.5 g/kg for Co to 10 g/kg for Cr. Actual levels as low as 8 g/kg for Cd and 7 g/kg for Co were measured.     

Production of reference material

Summary Carbon has been determined in the certified reference sample Euro CRM Pure Iron 097-1 to 3.98 g C/g (R = 0.15 at P = 95%) by combustion of the sample portion with subsequent indication of the CO₂ by coulometry. A calibration material based on primary sources of carbon was used with a sufficient small interval of uncertainty of the accuracy and an adequate weighing system. The blank could be kept sufficiently small with a fraction of 23% of the total analytical signal. The surface carbon of the 097-1 was determined to approximately 50% of the total carbon. This result of total carbon is considerably lower than the values in the certificate reading up to 20 g/g. This reflects the strong tendency to too high values in the certificates of reference steels with contents of carbon up to 100 g/g. Examples are given.

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Herstellung von Referenzmaterial — Bestimmung von Kohle in Stählen und reinem Eisen im Bereich von 1–100 g/g mit primärer Kalibrierung

     

The composition of volatile and particulate hydrocarbons in urban air

Summary The hydrocarbon composition of the particle and gas phases in the urban atmosphere has been studied by filtration and parallel adsorption on active charcoal and polyurethane foam (PUF). Gas chromatography (GC) and GC coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) have been used for the analysis of the organic matter extracts obtained with each system. In the case of the particle and PUF samples these extracts were fractionated into aliphatic and aromatic compounds. This approach has allowed to identify up to 247 hydrocarbon molecules showing that C0–C5 alkylbenzenes are the major compounds in the charcoal extracts whereas C14–C23 n-alkanes, C0–C4 alkylnaphthalenes, C0–C4 alkylbiphenyls and C3–C5 alkylbenzenes are those predominantly found in the PUF materials. The particles essentially contain C17–C38 n-alkanes and parent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). These qualitative differences are paralleled by a progressive concentration decrease from the more to the less volatile hydrocarbons. Thus, the total charcoal extracts average 80 g/m³, the PUF compounds represent 4 /m³ and the particle hydrocarbons 0.7 g/m³. These latter airborne materials are essentially composed of petrogenic residues 0.6 g/m³ (aliphatic fraction) whereas the pyrolytic PAH only involve 0.08 g/m³.     

Application of high resolution ICP-spectrometry to the determination of B,Be, Co,Mo and Sn in soils and similar matrices

The most sensitive emission lines for the elements B, Be, Co and Mo are strongly influenced by disturbing emission lines of Fe using normal optical resolution. The advantages of high resolution, applying the new ICP-spectrometer JY 38 Plus (Jobin-Yvon, France) with the 2400 lines/mm grating measuring in the 1st and 2nd order will be discussed. Beside the concentrations in soils, sediments and sludges, applying aqua regia and HF decomposition methods, the detection limits in these matrices will be given. The possibilities of ICP-spectrometry for the determination of the above-mentioned elements are shown at the examples of SRMs (standard reference materials). The materials used here were three soils and three sludges from the BCR (Community Bureau of Reference, European Communities) and one sediment from NBS (National Bureau of Standards, USA). For example, the most sensitive and normally used line for the determination of boron at 249.7733 nm cannot be used in case of this type of matrix due to normally high Fe-concentrations and due to a strong Fe-interference. Therefore, it is necessary to use the line at 249.6778 nm, where an interference-free measurement can be achieved in case of high optical resolution. The measured B-contents in these samples are in the range of 20 to 60 g/g, for Co in the 10 g/g region, for Be well below 1 g/g, for Sn between 3 and 400 g/g. Mo was only detectable in the sludge samples (limit of determination 0.5 g/g).Presented in part at the 1989 European Winter Conference on Plasma Spectrochemistry, Reutte, Austria     

Determination of tetraethyllead and tetramethyllead using high performance liquid chromatography and electrochemical detection

Summary A new method for the separation of tetramethyllead (TML) and tetraethyllead (TEL) was developed using high-performance liquid chromatography. The electrochemical detection was examined with different electrodes. Amperometric and pulse-amperometric techniques were investigated and the optimal working potential for each electrode was determined. Linearity for the glassy carbon electrode was observed between 350 ng and 30 g; the detection limit is 310 ng (TML) resp. 340 ng (TEL). In case of the mercury gold electrode the linearity range was 300 g–3 g and the detection limit 1.5 m (TML) resp. 1.7 g (TEL).     

The determination of tin,chlorine, and fluorine in six japanese sedimentary standards

Concentrations of tin, chlorine, and fluorine in six new Geological Survey of Japan (GSJ) sedimentary standards are reported. Tin was determined using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS), following a lithium metaborate (LMB) fusion of the rock material. Chlorine and fluorine were determined using ion-selective electrode (ISE) potentiometry following an acid digestion and a LMB fusion, respectively. The methods employed are briefly described and determination limits in the rock of 0.2 g/g for tin, 10 g/g for chlorine, and 100 g/g for fluorine are reported. The precision obtained for the six sedimentary standards, expressed as %relative standard deviation, averaged 5.3% over the range of 2-200 g/g tin, 5.8% over the range of 20–65 g/g chloride, and 1.7% over the range of 100–4500 g/g fluoride, all in the rock. This compares favorably to the precision obtained for international geologic reference materials determined concurrently with the GSJ sedimentary standards. The values of tin, chloride, and fluoride obtained for the international reference materials were in favorable agreement with the recommended literature values.     

Applicability of PIXE to the analysis of biological reference materials

Summary Optimized PIXE procedures were applied to the analysis of up to 18 elements in certified biological reference materials. The exercise indicated that the total random error of the results from one single target analysis is in the range of 2–5% for elements heavier than K and for levels from 2 g/g on. The accuracy of the PIXE procedures is shown to be better than 5%.     

Short and long term stability of the elemental composition of human body fluid reference materials and their use as master lots

Summary Studies have been made of both short and long term stability of trace elements in lyophilized human body fluid reference materials, as well as the stability of mercury in reconstituted urine solutions. No detectable concentration changes for mercury, lead and aluminium occurred during the 5-year period. There are large differences in the amounts of mercury loss among different reconstituted materials. Addition of traces of gold to the solutions minimized the mercury loss and increased the useable time of the reconstituted material from hours to 8 days. A certification process based on direct determinations by reference laboratories and by comparison against master lots of the same material and against similar certified reference materials is presented. Values for calcium, copper and mercury obtained from reference laboratories and using the data transfer principle have been assigned in new batches of urine and serum.     

Thallium determination in reference materials by Isotope Dilution Mass Spectrometry (IDMS) using thermal ionization

Summary Using Isotope Dilution Mass Spectrometry (IDMS) with thermal ionization, thallium concentrations were determined in reference materials from NIST and BCR, from other sources, and reference materials from the German Environmental Specimen Bank. ²⁰³Tl spike solution is applied for the isotope dilution technique. Thallium concentrations in the investigated materials range from 2.67 g Tl·kg^–1 to 963 g Tl·kg^–1 with a relative standard deviation from 0.14 to 10%. The detection limit was 0.1 ng thallium for this work.     

Trace element analysis of some shaving powders commonly marketed in Nigeria using instrumental neutron activation analysis

Instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) technique has been employed viak ₀ approximation method to determine elemental composition of five shaving powders commonly marketed in Nigeria. Fe displayed the highest concentrations in the range 1000–2000 g·g^–1. Na and Zn concentrations were established in the range 200–400 g·g^–1. Heavy elements like Ga, La, Cr, Co, Ag, Ce and Nd concentrations were noted in the lower range of 1–10 g·g^–1 Br, As, Sb, Sm, Eu, W, Cs, Tb, Yb, Hf, Ta, Th and U concentrations were established in even lower traces in the <1 g·g^–1 range. Results obtained for a certified reference material, CANMET BL-1 and CERT (in house) Kaolin standard compared favourably with the literature values thus establishing the results presented for the shaving powders.     

Comparison of various semiempirical MO LCAO methods

In an orthogonalized basis, the diagonal element F of the Fock operator, for a number of semiempirical MO LCAO methods, can be represented by a trinomial which is quadratic with respect to the Mulliken charge. The coefficients differ for different methods, depending on the manner in which the interelectronic interaction is taken into account. From a study, in general form, of the influence of change in the coefficients of the trinomial F on the bond order matrix, an explanation has been given for certain familiar calculation results: the equalization of the -charges on going from the Hückel method to the more advanced techniques, and the decrease in the covalent character of metal-ligand bonds when allowance is made for the interelectronic interaction in the calculations for complexes.In conclusion, we wish to thank V. D. Sutula and L. I. Chernyavskii for much valuable discussion.