Some problems observed in the determination of lithium in waste waters by atomic-absorption spectrophotometry

Abstract

The atomic-absorption determination of lithium in waste waters using the air-acetylene flame is prone to chemical interference effects on some instruments. These effects are considered to be significant when the lithium tracer technique is used for flow monitoring. The use of the hotter dinitrogen oxide-acetylene flame is recommended to minimise these effects. For acceptable precision (a relative standard deviation of less than 1%) it is essential to employ an intense lithium source when using this hotter flame.