Analytical Potential of Nonresonance Line Flameless Atomic Absorption Spectrometry for Lead Determination

Abstract

The use of nonresonance lines in atomic absorption has usually been restricted to those elements which have a fairly closely spaced multiplet ground state or in theoretical studies to give a measure of the temperature of a flame. Our research into the use of porous graphite flameless atomizer sample cups as air filters pointed to a need for a way to occasionally reduce the sensitivity of these devices for lead determinations. In these analytical applications, air to be sampled is first drawn through the walls of a porous Woodriff furnace cup or a porous carbon rod atomizer tube and then the cup (or tube) is placed directly into the atomizer for the lead determination without any chemical or physical pretreatment of the sample.