Determination of manganese, iron and copper in sodium by chemical modification/graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

Trace Mn, Fe and Cu in sodium were determined by chemical modification/graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. The sodium sample was changed into NaOH in a desiccator by room temperature water vapor generated under reduced pressure, then the NaOH was dissolved in water and HNO(3) was added to give a clear solution. The solution was analysed by chemical modification/graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. A nickel nitrate modifier was effective in improving integrated absorbance signals and the reproducibility of measurement. Analytical results for Mn, Fe and Cu were 170, 970 and 210 ng/g and relative standard deviations (n = 5) were 3.5, 5.8 and 6.7%, respectively. These results agreed with the values obtained from a chelating resin preconcentration/ICP-AES method.