An examination of instrumental systems for reducing the cycle time in atomic-absorption spectroscopy with electrothermal atomisation

Abstract

The sensitivity, detection limit, reproducibility, matrix effects and cycle time of five atomic-absorption systems with electrothermal atomisation were determined to assess their suitability for the determination of copper and zinc in plasma protein fractions separated by ion-exchange column chromatography. The systems were: a Massmann furnace with a graphite or metal tube, a mini-Massmann atomiser with graphite tubes or cups, a Massmann furnace with an interchangeable graphite cup insert and a Massmann tube furnace coupled to a mini-Massmann graphite cup atomiser. It was found that the Massmann furnace was analytically the most sensitive system, but it was also the slowest. The coupled furnaces suffered the least interference and the fastest system was the Massmann tube with interchangeable sample cup insert. Although all systems had adequate sensitivity it was concluded that none was sufficiently simple and rapid to meet the needs of the proposed analysis.