Use of sodium borohydride for cold-vapour atomic-absorption determination of trace amounts of inorganic mercury

Abstract

Mercury in acidic solution is reduced to the metallic state with sodium borohydride. The reduction is rapid, gives enhanced sensitivity over that obtained by use of more conventional reductants, and is conveniently carried out by using the same apparatus as is used for the determination of arsenic, selenium, antimony, etc., by the hydride generation technique.