title: Atomic absorption spectroscopy for mercury, automated by sequential injection and miniaturized in lab-on-valve system.
abstract: Sodium borohydride-based hydride generation was automated by using programmable flow within the lab-on-valve module. Mercury vapor, generated in the reaction mixture, was extracted in a gas/liquid separator. The gas-expansion separator was miniaturized and compared with the performance of a novel gas separator that exploits the combination of Venturi effect and reduced pressure. Cold vapor atomic spectroscopy was used as a model system, with detection of mercury by absorption at 254 nm and limit of detection of 9 microg of Hg/L, using 300 microL of sample and 100 microL of borohydride. This work introduces, for the first time, sequential injection technique for hydride generation, highlights advantages of using programmable flow, and outlines means for miniaturization of assays based on spectroscopy of volatile species.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, Box 351700, Seattle, WA 98195-1700, USA.
authors.forename: Holger
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Erxleben
authors.forename: Jaromir
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ruzicka