Flow-injection atomic absorption spectrometry system for mercury determination in water

Abstract

A homemade FIA device for mercury determination in water is presented, as well as the influence of different operation parameters. The method is based upon the mercury(II) ion reduction with SnCl2 to elementary mercury, followed by the extraction of the latter from the liquid phase by means of an air flow, the mercury vapor then being passed into the flow cell of an atomic absorption spectrometer. The measurement sensitivity is good as the method allows for analyses within 0.01–1 μg Hg2+ mL−1 concentration range. The time required for one determination is approximately 2 minutes as a function of the injected sample volume with an excellent reproducibility of the determinations and a relative standard deviation of 1.02%. This FIA device for Hg2+ determination has been successfully employed for analyzing water samples from chlorosodic industry. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Lab Robotics and Automation 10: 355–359, 1998