Ultrasonic probe extraction of tin from botanical and biological reference materials and determination using end capped electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (EC-ETAAS) with zirconium–iridium permanent modifier

Abstract

An ultrasonic probe extraction procedure is described for extraction of total tin in standard reference materials such as NIST SRMs 1548 total diet, 1566a oyster tissue, 2976 mussel tissue and IAEA 392 algae, and also powdered algae, onion and spinach samples. An end-capped Zr–Ir coated transverse heated tube is used for determination by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry, which not only enhances the sensitivity (characteristic mass 20 ± 2 pg) but also reduces the interference due to the high concentration of acids and other interfering species. The limit of detection is found to be 0.030 μg g⁻¹. The precision expressed as relative standard deviation was in the range 2–4% within a batch and 5–10% between batches.