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.     

On the determination of total dissolved tin in natural waters by direct hydride generation and non-dispersive atomic-fluorescence spectrometry

The analytical response of inorganic tin and of eleven organotin compounds of the type R(n)SnX(4-)(n) (with n = 1, 2, 3 and R = methyl, ethyl, butyl and phenyl) was compared for direct hydride generation with non-dispersive atomic fluorescence detection. Most of these compounds showed behaviour resembling that of inorganic tin, with the exception of tributyltin and the phenyltin compounds. A simple pretreatment with 10(-3)M bromine and 0.033M nitric acid at 70 degrees for 60 niin prevents any risk of underestimation and the total dissolved tin in natural waters can be determined with recoveries better than 90%, with inorganic tin as calibration standard.     

Determination of indium by hydride generation and atomic-absorption spectrometry

Conditions are presented for the determination of indium by atomic-absorption spectrometry following hydride generation. Indium hydride produced by addition of sodium borohydride to a solution of indium in 3M hydrochloric acid is flushed with argon into an electrically heated silica tube. The mass of indium giving 1 % absorption is 0.3 mug.     

The determination of trace amounts of tin by flow-injection hydride generation atomic-absorption spectrometry with on-line ion-exchange separation and preconcentration

A hydride generation atomic-absorption spectrometric (AAS) method with flow-injection (FI), aimed at developing a practical routine assay for the determination of tin in food digests, is described. In order to modify the sample matrix and to achieve optimized and reproducible conditions for the hydride generation reaction, the analyte is initially converted into its chlorostannate-complex thereby allowing it to be separated and preconcentrated on-line on an incorporated micro-column packed with a strongly basic anion exchanger and subsequently to be eluted by diluted nitric acid under strictly controlled conditions. Optimum acidic conditions for the FI hydride generation AAS system was found to be 0.01-0.05M nitric acid. At a consumption of 2.7-ml sample volume, aspirated by time-based injection, the procedure resulted in an enrichment factor of 3.5 and yielded a detection limit of 0.08 microg/l. (3sigma) at a sampling frequency of 72/hr. The precision was 2.5% rsd at the 10 microg/l. level. Potential interferents, such as Ni(II), Co(II), Zn(II) and Fe(III) could, at a Sn level of 10 microg/l., be tolerated at an excess of 1000 times without impairing the assay, while a 100-1000-fold excess of Cu(II) decreased the signal by 10-15%. Recoveries in the range 94-102% were obtained for canned food sample digests spiked with 10 microg/l. Sn.     

Determination of indium and thallium by hydride generation and atomic-absorption spectrometry

Hydride generation coupled with atomic-absorption spectrometry was applied to the determination of indium and thallium. The hydrides were generated in 1M HCl (In) and 1-1.5M HCl or HNO(3) (Tl) with 1% NaBH(4) solution, and were flushed with argon into an electrically heated silica tube. The characteristic mass for indium and thallium were 0.13 and 0.12 mug, respectively.     

Determination of tin and methyltin species by hydride generation and detection with graphite-furnace atomic absorption or flame emission spectrometry

A method for the determination of tin and organotin species by hydride generation is described. Tin hydrides are detected by graphite-furnace atomic absorption, quartz-cuvette atomic absorption, or flame emission spectrometry with detection limits of 50, 50, and 20 pg as tin, respectively. Germanium interferences are eliminated with a dual-detector flame photometer with an electronic cancellation circuit.     

Determination of lead in drinking waters by hydride generation and atomic-absorption spectroscopy, and three other methods

Simultaneous presence of copper and nickel in potable waters interferes with the determination of lead at trace levels by the hydride-atomic-absorption spectrophotometric method. This interference is eliminated by co-precipitating lead with manganese dioxide from acidic solution. The precipitate is dissolved in 0.85% nitric acid and analysed by the automated hydride-atomic-absorption method. This method has been applied to 22 representative water samples and results compared with those obtained by using differential pulse anodic-stripping voltammetry, flame atomic-absorption and graphite-furnace atomic-absorption spectrophotometry. The precision of the three methods is reported and their accuracy checked by the analysis of reference standard water samples. The sensitivity of the three methods is of the order of 1 mug/l., compared to 100 mug/l. for flame atomic-absorption. The merits of each method are discussed.     

Determination of copper at ng levels by in-line preconcentration and flow-injection analysis coupled with flame atomic-absorption spectrometry

Oxine/formaldehyde/resorcinol and oxine/formaldehyde/hydroquinone resins have been synthesized and their physicochemical properties studied. Conditions were optimized for the preconcentration of copper by batch extraction and column chromatography with the resins. A flow-injection analysis (FIA) manifold was constructed for the determination of copper at ng levels by preconcentration on microcolumns containing the resins, stripping, and atomic-absorption spectrometry. For batch preconcentration a pH of about 2.5-3 was optimal whereas in the FIA system a broader pH range (approximately 2-3.5) could be used. Separations of binary mixtures of Cu(II) with Ni(II) or PB(II) at microg/ml level did not show any cross-contamination. In the FIA, a 2 cm long column and 2 ml/min flow-rate were adequate for quantitative uptake of copper; 50 micro1 of 0.1M hydrochloric acid quantitatively eluted the copper.     

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 arsenic in geological materials by electrothermal atomic-absorption spectrometry after hydride generation

Rock and soil samples are decomposed with HClO₄—HNO₃; after further treatment, arsine is generated and absorbed in a dilute silver nitrate solution. Aliquots of this solution are injected into a carbon rod atomizer. Down to 1 ppm As in samples can be determined and there are no significant interferences, even from chromium in soils. Good results were obtained for geochemical reference samples.     

Advantages of hydride generation interface for selenium speciation in waters by high performance liquid chromatography-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry coupling

This paper focuses on the analytical performance improvement of the coupled technique HPLC-ICPMS using on-line collision/reaction cell technology for selenium elemental and speciation analyses at the ng (Se) l(-1) level in aquatic environment. Collision/reaction cell operating parameters were optimised, resulting in selected conditions of 5.5 ml min(-1) H(2) and 0.5 ml min(-1) He mixture. The detection limits obtained were around 5 ng (Se) l(-1) for total analysis, and between 7 and 15 ng (Se) l(-1) depending on the species for speciation analysis. The capability of UV irradiation-hydride generation interfacing to increase detector sensitivity was also evaluated for speciation analysis. The detection limits obtained were in the range 2-8 ng (Se) l(-1) depending on the species. Moreover, such interface allowed to prevent bromine introduction to the ICPMS which is particularly convenient for selenium trace analysis in natural waters as (80)Se is preserved free from BrH interferences. The developed method was validated using certified water with low selenium content (TM Rain 95, NWRI, Canada) and applied to the analysis of different waters.     

Preconcentration by coprecipitation of arsenic and tin in natural waters with a Ni-pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate complex and their direct determination by solid-sampling atomic-absorption spectrometry

A method for the determination of trace amounts of arsenic and tin in natural waters is described. Trace amounts of arsenic and tin were preconcentrated by coprecipitation with a Ni-ammonium pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (APDC) complex. The coprecipitates obtained were directly analyzed by graphite-furnace atomic-absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) using the Ni-APDC complex solid-sampling technique. The coprecipitation conditions used for the trace amounts of arsenic and tin in natural water were investigated in detail. It was found that arsenic and tin at sub-ng mL(-1) levels were both coprecipitated quantitatively by Ni(PDC)2 in the pH range 2-3. The concentration factors by coprecipitation reached approximately 40,000 when 2 mg nickel was added as a carrier element to 500 mL of the water sample. The proposed method has been applied to the determination of trace amounts of arsenic and tin in river water and seawater reference materials, and the detection limits for arsenic and tin, which were calculated from three times of the standard deviation of the procedural blanks, are 0.02 ng mL(-1) and 0.04 ng mL(-1), respectively, for 500-mL volumes of water sample.     

聚苯胺修饰电极-电化学氢化物发生原子荧光光谱法测定食品中锡含量

运用以聚苯胺修饰的石墨电极为阴极的电化学氢化物发生装置实现了锡元素的电化学氢化物发生.在电极表面聚合一层聚苯胺,能够有效地提高锡元素的电化学氢化物发生效率,通过与原子荧光光谱仪联用,成功地测定了食品中的锡含量.本工作对各种实验参数和干扰情况进行了详细研究.方法对锡的检出限为1.2 ng/mL(3σ);样品分析精密度(R...     

Use of thiosemicarbazide as masking agent for the direct determination of bismuth in copper by atomic-absorption spectrometry with hydride generation

A simple atomic-absorption method for determining trace bismuth in copper metal is described. Interference from the matrix is eliminated by masking copper with thiosemicarbazide in acidic solution.     

Derivative hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry and determination of lead traces in waters

Fundamentals of derivative hydride-generation atomic absorption spectrometry (DHGAAS) are described. A linear relationship was obtained between the derivative absorbance and the concentration of analysis in a sample. The new DHGAAS method was applied to the determination of traces of lead in water. The conditions affecting the derivative absorbance of lead were evaluated and optimized. The detection limit and sensitivity of the proposed method were 26 times and 8.8 times better, respectively, than those of conventional hydride-genera-tion atomic absorption spectrometry. The characteristic concentration (for a derivative absorbance of 0.0044) and detection limit (3sigma) for lead were 0.017 and 0.096 ng mL(-1), respectively, for a 2 mV min(-1) sensitivity range setting. The recovery range was 92.5-103%.     

Non-chromatographic speciation analysis of arsenic and antimony in milk hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry

A rapid, high sensitivity method has been developed for the determination of As(III), As(V), Sb(III) and Sb(V) in milk samples by using hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry. The method is based on the leaching of As and Sb from milk through the sonication of samples with aqua regia followed by direct determination of the corresponding hydrides both before and after reduction with KI. It was confirmed by recovery experiments on spiked commercially available samples that neither the reduced nor the oxidized forms of the elements under study or mixtures of the two oxidation states were modified by the room temperature sample treatment with aqua regia. The methodologies developed provided 3σ limit of detection values of 8.1, 10.3, 5.4 and 7.7 ng l⁻¹ for As(III), As(V), Sb(III) and Sb(V) in the diluted samples. Average relative standard deviation values of 5.7, 5.5, 8.2 and 4.7% were found for determination of As(III), As(V), Sb(III) and Sb(V) in commercially available samples of different composition and origin containing from 3.5 to 13.6 ng g⁻¹ total As and from 4.9 to 11.8 ng g⁻¹ total Sb, it being confirmed that As(V) and Sb(V) are the main species present in the samples analyzed (62±5 and 73±5%, respectively). The time required to determine As and Sb species in milk involves 10 min sonication and 30 min prereduction but these steps can be carried out for several sample simultaneously. Additionally the fluorescence measurement step involves less than 20 min for three replicates of all the four measurements required. So, in less than 2 h it is possible to determine the content of As(III), As(V), Sb(III) and Sb(V) in four samples.     

Determination of tin in atmospheric particulate matter by hydride generation and atomic absorption spectrometry

A procedure is described for the determination of tin in atmospheric particulate matter collected on Whatman 41 cellulose filters. The samples are decomposed with sulfuric acid and nitric acid, followed by hydrofluoric acid to dissolve residual silicates. The analytical parameters for the hydride generation and the subsequent atomic absorption spectrometric measurements are optimized. Severe memory effects encountered with an automatic generator system are avoided when a manual apparatus is used. The precision of the entire method is within 10%. The detection limit is 0.20 ng m^?3 tin if 500 m³ of air is filtered. The concentrations found in residential and industrial areas varied between 1.8 and 47.5 ng m^?3.     

Optimization of the determination of selenium by atomic-absorption spectrometry: Comparison of two hydride generation systems

Two commercially available systems for the determination of selenium by hydride-generation and atomic-absorption spectrometry were compared. Chemical and physical parameters were optimized both for an electrothermally heated closed atom-cell method and a flame-heated open-cell technique. Both systems were evaluated with respect to performance and applicability to determination of traces of selenium.     

Applications of a slotted tube atom trap and flame atomic absorption spectrometry: Determination of tin in copper-based alloys after hydride generation

A sensitive system is reported for the determination of tin in copper-based alloys by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Use of a slotted quartz atom trap coupled with hydride generation improved the sensitivity by a factor of 200, compared with that obtained using conventional flame AAS. The determination of tin in a series of reference samples demonstrates the usefulness of the system for the analysis of metallurgical samples.     

Multivariate optimisation of hydride generation procedures for single element determinations of As, Cd, Sb and Se in natural waters by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

Continuous flow hydride generation procedures for As(III), total inorganic As, Cd, total inorganic Sb, Se(IV) and total inorganic Se from sea and hot-spring water samples were optimised by experimental designs. Ir-coated graphite tubes were used as preconcentration and atomisation medium of the hydrides generated. Several factors affecting the hydride generation efficiency were studied. Results obtained from Plackett-Burman designs suggest that sodium borohydride flow rate and reduction coil length, are significant factors for total inorganic arsenic hydride generation. For cadmium hydride generation the significant factors are hydrochloric acid concentration, hydrochloric acid and sodium borohydride flow rates and reduction coil length. For total inorganic antimony hydride generation the factors affecting the hydride generation procedure are hydrochloric acid and potassium iodide concentrations and reduction coil length; finally, pre-reduction coil length and oven temperature for the pre-reduction step are statistically significant factors for total inorganic selenium hydride generation. In addition, the factors studied for the arsenic and selenium hydride generation from As(III) and Se(IV) are not significant. From these studies, the significant variables were optimised by central composite designs. Validation carried out analysis on three reference materials: SLRS-4 (Riverie water), CASS-3 (seawater) and NIST-1643d.