This application note describes how to use the CRA-90 carbon rod atomizer to determine priority pollutant metals.
The document addresses the analysis of trace metal concentrations in environmental samples, such as drinking water and industrial effluents, which often require the high sensitivity of graphite furnace methods over flame atomic absorption. It focuses on the determination of twelve priority pollutant metals: Silver (Ag), Arsenic (As), Beryllium (Be), Cadmium (Cd), Chromium (Cr), Copper (Cu), Nickel (Ni), Lead (Pb), Antimony (Sb), Selenium (Se), Thallium (Tl), and Zinc (Zn). Mercury (Hg) is noted as requiring a separate cold vapor technique.
The text provides specific operating parameters, including temperature programs, matrix modifiers, and gas settings, for analyzing these metals in various matrices like aqueous standards, acetic acid, drinking water, and high-salt effluent. It presents data on sensitivity, detection limits, precision, and recovery rates, along with discussions on interference correction and calibration strategies.
| Sensitivity (Silver) | 0.8 x 10^-12 g |
|---|---|
| Detection Limit (Silver) | 0.3 x 10^-12 g |
| Sensitivity (Arsenic) | 7.0 x 10^-12 g |
| Detection Limit (Arsenic) | 6.5 x 10^-12 g |
| Sensitivity (Beryllium) | 0.6 x 10^-12 g |
| Detection Limit (Beryllium) | 0.9 x 10^-12 g |
The note investigates twelve priority pollutant metals: Ag, As, Be, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, Tl, and Zn.
The only approved method for Mercury is the cold vapor technique.
A concentration of 5000 pg/mL Nickel is used to stabilize Arsenic in high salt content effluent samples.