PinAAcle® 900 AA Spectrometers

Contamination of water supplies with arsenic (As), selenium (Se), and mercury (Hg) is a major concern in agriculture and it is therefore important to have precise analytical techniques for measuring these compounds. This application note from PerkinElmer presents an accurate and reliable procedure for the determination of As, Se and Hg in waters. Prior to analysis by atomic absorption spectroscopy, hydride generation was used to separate the hydride forming metals, Se and As, from the matrices, and the cold vapor technique was used for the separation of Hg from the matrices. The separation of the elements from the matrix allows for high efficiency of analyte introduction into the atomic absorption spectrophotometer.

With an inherent toxicity, a tendency to accumulate in the food chain and a particularly low removal rate through excretion, lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd) and arsenic (As) cause harm to humans even at low concentrations. Natural food spices, such as pepper, have been reported to contain significant quantities of some heavy metals, including Pb, Cd and As. In this application note from PerkinElmer a complete method for the accurate determination of these heavy metals in various spice mixtures using the PinAAcle 900T atomic absorption spectrophotometer in the GFAAS mode is described. The results confirmed that the determination of As, Cd and Pb in spice mixtures, after acid solubilization by microwave digestion, can be performed by GFAAS without any interference.

The matrix modification technique is a very important feature in the concept of interference-free trace metal determinations. Applying this technique, the chemical forms, and thereby the physical properties, of the element under study and/or the matrix, can be changed by adding a suitable reagent in excess to the sample and standard reference solutions. This note provides detailed information on how to prepare the most common matrix modification solutions.

This application note presents the elemental analysis of fuel oil by Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (FAAS) and compares this to inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). ICP-OES is the preferred technique for petroleum analyses, it is shown, however, that FAAS methods are effective and rapid for smaller numbers of elements. In addition, flame AA instruments tend to be more compact than ICP-OES instruments, cost a fraction of the price, and require less operator training.

This application note describes a simple and direct dilution method for sample preparation, followed by automated analysis using Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (GFAAS). This method minimizes sample preparation, and also reduces potential contamination while still maintaining the speed of analysis. A PerkinElmer® PinAAcle™ 900T flame and longitudinal Zeeman atomic absorption spectrometer was used.

This application note analyzes five different NIST® Standard Reference Material (SRM) food samples, which represent a typical cross-section of food types for human consumption. It demonstrates the ability of the PinAAcle 900T spectrometer to quantitate in the low-ppb range, thereby reducing the need for an ICP-MS to successfully measure this suite of elements in foods. The PinAAcle 900Z (Longitudinal Zeeman Furnace only) spectrometer can also be used for this application.

In this informative video from PerkinElmer, the latest technology in Atomic Absorbtion Spectrometers is described. The PinAAcle series is cutting edge instrumentation which offers flame/furnace in addition to flow injection hydride, FIAS furnace and Mercury hydride on a single instrument. The technology has a fully contained optical system and fibre optic technology to provide exceptional long term stability. An average run can accommodate 148 samples with true random access sampling, thus reducing operator time requirements and eliminating potential dilution areas.