Direct solid sampling of biological species for the rapid determination of selenium by high-resolution continuum source graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

Abstract

A direct solid sampling method based on high-resolution continuum source graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (HR-CS GFAAS) for the determination of selenium (Se) in biological tissues was optimized. The main analytical line of Se at 196.0267 nm was used to carry out all HR-CS AAS measurements. Different chemical modifiers were evaluated to prevent the loss of Se during the application of the GFAAS temperature program and avoid the interferences due to the presence of phosphorus compounds in sample matrix. The best results were achieved using ruthenium coated platforms and a palladium nanoparticle suspension (Pd NP) as co-injected modifier. Calibration was performed using aqueous standard solutions of Se(IV). For solid sampling, the optimal range of sample mass was between 0.2 and 0.8 mg. The limit of detection (LOD) was 0.06 ng (0.075 μg g−1 using a sample mass of 0.8 mg). The developed solid sampling HR-CS GFAAS method was used for Se determination in two certified reference materials of dogfish tissues and lyophilized and powdered real samples of fish tissues and chicken liver. The precision obtained in these analyses, expressed as relative standard deviation (RSD), was between 5.5 and 8.6% (n = 6). For validation purposes, the results obtained by the solid sampling HR-CS GFAAS method were compared with those found performing the analysis by HR-CS hydride generation AAS (HR-CS HGAAS) after microwave acid digestion of the samples. The Se concentrations obtained for both methods agreed at a 95% confidence level (Student's t-test), indicating the suitability of the proposed solid sampling HR-CS GFAAS method to determine Se in biological samples.