Peak profile characteristics in the presence of palladium for graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

Abstract

The effect of Pd on analyte absorbance signals was evaluated for several elements including As, Cd, Cr, Pb, Sn and TI. Conventional furnace operating procedures and wall atomisation were used. The Pd reduction step was found to be essential for the recovery of Pb and TI when a halide matrix was present. Absorbance profiles were found to be sensitive to the mass of Pd present. Slight positive shifts in the peak temperature were noted for low (ng) levels of Pd, while higher levels of Pd caused increasing shifts in the peak temperature. Excluding Pb, the peak-area absorbances increased with Pd mass while peak-height absorbances generally reached a maximum at Pd masses below 2 µg. The data imply that the mass amount of the Pd chemical modifier should be considered during the development of analytical methods which include Pd.