Effect of Temperatures on Determination of Arsenic in Water by Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometry

Abstract

BACKGROUND The influence of the operating temperature on Hydride Generation-Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometry comes mainly from the hydride reaction and the drift of the instrument. An increase in operating temperature increases the background value of the instrument, while a low operating temperature is not conducive to hydride reaction. OBJECTIVES To investigate the effect of operating temperature on the determination of arsenic and to find the optimal temperature conditions. METHODS According to the standard method of Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometry for determination of arsenic in water, the calibration curves, the blank samples, the QC samples and the standard materials were analyzed at temperatures of 10℃, 20℃ and 30℃, respectively. RESULTS The calibration curves in three temperature conditions had good linear correlation. However, when the operating temperature increased, the blank fluorescence value and detection limit increased accordingly, and the instrument sensitivity decreased. The analytical results cannot meet the accuracy requirement. CONCLUSIONS When the arsenic content is determined by Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometry, the working temperature of the instrument should be controlled at 10-20℃, where the temperature change is relatively stable.

Keywords

• water
• arsenic
• atomic fluorescence spectrometry
• hydride generation
• operating temperature
• sensitivity