Observations on the effect of oxidation state on the sensitivity of flame AAS determinations of tellurium

Abstract

During evaluations of a new boosted-discharge Te lamp we found unexpected differences in the flame AAS sensitivity for Te, depending on the oxidation state. Te(IV) gave a significantly greater absorbance (by a factor of ∼1.66) than the same concentration of Te(VI) in both the air-C ₂ H ₂ flame and the N ₂ O-C ₂ H ₂ flame. The effect was not observed with ICP-AES.