Separation of zinc compounds by sequential metal vapor elution analysis with atomic absorption detection

The separation of zinc compounds, containing zinc chloride, nitrate, and sulfate, at low concentrations by sequential metal vapor elution analysis (SMVEA) with argon carrier gas was reported. A molybdenum column, inserted with a tungsten wire, was developed for the separation of zinc compounds by SMVEA. The optimum separation conditions were a vaporization temperature of 1370 K, a column temperature of 1350 K, and a carrier gas flow rate of 2.5 mL min−1. Under the optimized experimental conditions, the zinc compounds could be roughly separated by SMVEA, although a part of peak profiles overlapped. The number of theoretical plates was 36 for ZnCl2, 62 for Zn(NO3)2, and 80 for ZnSO4 in the SMVEA column. The present SMVEA system may be able to be applied widely to various analytical instruments.