ETAAS determination of palladium in environmental samples with on-line preconcentration and matrix separation

A flow injection procedure with ETAAS detection for the on-line matrix separation and preconcentration of palladium in environmental samples such as airborne particulate matter and road dust was developed. The selective enrichment of palladium was performed on a C18 micro column which has been reversibly loaded with the complexing agent N,N-diethyl-N′-benzoylthiourea. The formed palladium complex was eluted with ethanol and directly introduced into the graphite furnace. With the use of a 1.57 ml sample loop a limit of detection of 23 ng l−1 and a limit of quantification of 39 ng l−1 were obtained for the determination of palladium, with a relative standard deviation being not more than 3.9%. The method including the developed digestion procedure has been evaluated using the certified reference material BCR-723 (road dust). Finally the procedure was applied for the analysis of aerosol samples from the urban site Vienna.