Preparation of solutions for the standard additions method in flame atomic absorption spectrometry

Abstract

An apparatus for the rapid determination of analytes by the standard additions method in flame AAS is described. For the analysis of one sample the preliminary preparation of only two solutions is necessary; subsequent working solutions were prepared by stepwise changes in the concentration of one of the original two solutions in a small glass flask. By this means the analytical procedure becomes simple and rapid and requires only a small volume of sample. Examples of the determination of Ca and Zn in the presence of selected interfering elements in synthetic samples and the determination of Zn in municipal water are presented. Optimisation of the experimental conditions and both linear and non-linear approximations of the results are discussed.