A Novel Online Hydride Generation Technique for the Simultaneous Determination of Ultra Trace Amounts of Hydride Forming Elements in Water Samples by Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry

Abstract

A simple and rapid online hydride generation technique based on ultrasonic nebulizer was applied for the first time for the simultaneous determination of trace amounts of As, Bi, Sb, Se and Te by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. In this method, we used an ultrasonic nebulizer as a hydride generator and sample introducer simultaneously. An ultrasonic nebulizer was applied for the online hydride generation technique without using any device, such as a gas phase separator, which is mandatory in the classic hydride generation method. This technique improved method detection limit comparing to the traditional hydride generation system which is a necessity in the ultra-trace determination of hydride forming elements. The developed technique shows an improvement factor ranging from 56 to 450 times in detection limits in comparison to a concentric nebulizer. The obtained detection limits were well below the maximum concentration limit. The practical applicability of the developed method was examined using natural water samples.