Electrothermal atomization of calcium and strontium in a molybdenum micro-tube

The excitation and ionization of calcium and strontium in a molybdenum micro-tube atomizer and their use in atomic-absorption spectrometry are described. Increasing hydrogen flow led to complex calcium atomization profiles for absorption measurements, but decreasing hydrogen flow resulted in higher atomic emission. Ionization of calcium and its suppression by potassium were also observed. Strontium was measured effectively by atomic absorption because of the higher sensitivity. Increasing hydrogen flow resulted in a lower atomization temperature and higher absorption for strontium, while decreasing hydrogen flow resulted in higher atomic emission. No interference from 100-fold amounts of magnesium, calcium and sodium was found for atomization of strontium, but 100-fold amounts of aluminium shifted the peak temperature for strontium though with no variation of appearance temperature and peak absorption. A small shift in peak temperature was observed for strontium in the presence of 100-fold amounts of phosphate.