Determination of trace amounts of total tin in water using extraction followed by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry with an oxidising matrix modifier

Abstract

Picric acid, a simple and very efficient matrix modifier, has been shown to give a large improvement in the determination of tin in toluene solution by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (DL 1 ng ml–1, k= 3). When combined with a toluene-tropolone extraction from acidified aqueous solutions this procedure allows the determination of inorganic tin and butyltin compounds down to 10 pg ml–1 concentrations.