Abstract

Volatile species of Au, Pd and Pt in the media of HCl, HNO₃, H₂SO₄, a mixture of HCl and HNO₃ (3∶1) and CH₃COOH were generated in a gas–liquid phase separation system by reaction with sodium tetrahydroborate. For the detection, inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry was applied. The effect of acid concentration on the analytical responses of Au, Pd and Pt and the plasma excitation conditions were studied. Experimental parameters such as flow rates of the sample, reductant and drain were investigated to achieve the optimum conditions for generation of the volatile species. The best conditions for the simultaneous determination of Au, Pd and Pt were obtained using 2.0 mol L⁻¹ HCl. The signal enhancements, in comparison to pneumatic nebulisation, were 2.3, 2.0 and 1.1 for Au, Pd and Pt, respectively.