Slurry sample preparation for simultaneous multi-element graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

Simultaneous multi-element graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometric analysis of solids prepared as slurries is investigated. Slurries were prepared using 5–10 mg of sample and 5 ml of dilute nitric acid. Analyses were performed on a simultaneous multi-element atomic absorption spectrometer with a continuum source (SIMAAC) using platform atomisation, integrated absorbance measurements, 20-µl sample volumes and calibration standards prepared in 5% HNO3. As many as seven elements were determined simultaneously in a total of ten different National Bureau of Standards (NBS) reference materials representing a wide variety of sample matrices. Ultrasonic agitation of the slurry preparations proved useful in avoiding setting of the particles. Typically, average accuracies of 100 ± 12% were observed.