A sequential injection cold-vapor atomic absorption method for the determination of total mercury

A sequential injection (SI) method for the determination of mercury via cold vapor atomic absorption spectrophotometry is presented. The method differs from flow injection (FI) cold vapor methods for the determination of mercury because of the simplicity of the system required for the method: one pump, one valve, a gas-liquid separator, and an atomic absorption spectrophotometer equipped with a quartz cell. Under optimal conditions, the method has the following figures of merit: a linear calibration range of 1.0 to 20 microg L(-1); a detection limit of 0.46 microg L(-1); and a precision of 0.90% RSD (8 microg L(-1)). The procedure allows for a sampling rate of one injection per 80 s (excluding sample pretreatment). Results from the determination of mercury in water and fish specimens are also presented. The figures of merit of the method are compared to two other SI methods for the determination of mercury.