Multivariate optimization on flow-injection electrochemical hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry of cadmium

A novel electrochemical hydride generation (ECHG) system working in flow-injection (FI) mode was developed for determination of cadmium coupled to an electrically heated quartz tube atomizer (QTA) by atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS). A Plackett–Burman experimental design for screening has been used to evaluate the influence of several variables on the analytical response. Then, the significant parameters such as the concentration of NaCl in catholyte, applied electrolytic current and flow rate of carrier gas have been simultaneously optimized using a central composite design (CCD). Under the optimized conditions, the detection limit (3σb, n=9) was found to be 0.51 ng mL−1 Cd and the relative standard deviation (RSD) for nine replicate analyses of 20 ng mL−1 Cd was 6.5%. The calibration curve was linear in the range of 2–50 ng mL−1 of Cd. The potential interferences from various ions were also evaluated. The analysis of a reference material showed good agreement with the certified value. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of Cd in tap water sample.