| Abstract | A volatile Cd species (presumed to be the hydride) was generated from aqueous solutions by merging sample and tetrahydroborate reductant in a continuous-flow system. The gaseous analyte was transferred onto the inner wall of a graphite tube furnace for in situ preconcentration at 200 °C. Calibration was achieved via the method of standard additions. An absolute detection limit (3ς blank ) of 10 pg was obtained using KBH 4 as reductant. The precision of the determination was 12% (RSD) for a Cd concentration of 0.2 ng ml - 1 using KBH 4 . The method was successfully applied to the determination of Cd in several certified environmental reference materials (soil, sediment, sea-water, biological samples) following pressure digestion of the samples by microwave heating in a mixture of acids. |
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