GFAAS and system optimisation Flashcards
What does GFAAS stand for?
graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry
What is the flame replaced with?
graphite furnace
Is it safer than FAAS?
yes
Does it require a nebuliser?
no
Can it be used to analyse solids
yes
Electrical heating is used for what?
volatilisation and atomisation of sample
In the first step of GFAAS procedure, sample is injected by micropipettee via what?
injection hole at top of tube
in second step of GFAAS procedure, why is tube heated rapidly by electric current?
to volatilise and atomise sample
the graphite material resists the passage of what?
electric current and converts electrical energy into heat
In step 3 of GFAAS procedure, an inert gas flow of Ar is used for what? 3
to flush tube and prevent formation of refractory oxides and prevent tube incineration
In the final step of the GFAAS procedure, atoms take several seconds to diffuse down tube giving rise to what?
transient absorption signal
how much better are detection limits in GFAAS than FAAS?
100-1000x
what are the detection limits of flame and furnace?
flame: 10-1000ppb, furnace: 0.01-10ppb
How long are atoms present in the atom cell?
a relatively long time
how can elements with resonance lines near 200nm be measured?
Because of absence of flame gases
Because of this, what may be more severe?
background absorption of light by other species
Can GFAAS detect more elements than FAAS?
no, fewer
GFAAS also has high background absorption, what is this caused by?
long residence time of atoms in furnace
What kind of samples in particular cause more background absorption in GFAAS?
biological and geological
How can the chances of scattering of light beam by smoke occuring be reduced?
temperature programming
The first step of temp programming is drying - what does this do and what temp for how long?
100oC for 30 seconds, removes solvent
what might a too high temp cause in drying stage?
sputtering of the sample
second step of temp programming is ashing. what does this do? and what temp?
350-550oC pyrolyses organic matter
What might happen if ashing temp is too high?
loss of analyte
in the ashing stage, organic molecules break down to small volatile moleules - what happens to them?
flushed from the furnace
third step of temp programming is atomisation, what temp and what occurs?
1500-2800oC - gives transient absorption peak
How can the minimum temp required for the sample be found out?
by working down from a high temperature until absorption peak begins to decrease
Step 4 of temp programming is tube clean - What occurs?
prevent memory effects
What stage of temp programming might a loss of analyte occur?
ashing stage
Halide salts absorption increases sharply below 220 nm, what elements does this cause a problem for?
ones that absorb below 220nm, lead arsenic and cadmium
how can the sample be stabilised?
use of matrix modifier
How can error in volume when manually pipetting be improved?
using autosampler
What does an IR light sensor do?
used to monitor radiation from furnace walls and control electrical supply
Why can the signal not be integrated to average out noise?
as furnace AA signal is transient
How is the sample throughput a limitation in furnace atomisation?
temp program takes approx 2 mins, 10x longer than flame