Determination of the absolute mass of an analyte by flame atomic-absorption spectrometry with discrete nebulisation

Abstract

The absolute mass of a certain metal in a sample was directly measured by flame atomic-absorption spectrometry with discrete nebulisation by injecting the total solution volume obtained after sample decomposition. A linear calibration graph of peak area versus absolute mass was easily obtained with different volumes of one standard solution. The method was applied to the determination of copper or manganese in biological standard samples of 1–10 mg (NBS SRM 1570 spinach, 1573 tomato leaves, 1575 pine needles and 1577 bovine liver). The analytical results agreed well with the certified values.