Application of a wall-stabilized argon plasma arc for the determination of some volatile hydride-forming elements

Volatile hydrides of As, Se, Sb and Sn, produced by a continuous manifold hydride generator, have been swept with argon and injected into the plasma of home-made direct current wall-stabilized argon plasma arc via one of its stabilizing segments. The arc burns in argon with an arc current of 20 A and a cathode-anode voltage of 40 V. Measurements were carried out using a 1 m focal length computer-controlled monochromator (Jobin Yvon 1000R) equipped with a holographic grating having 2400 grooves mm− 1. Optimal values of the experimental variables that give the highest value of intensity ratio of line-to-background were determined. These are: plasma gas flow rate 1.0 l min− 1, carrier gas flow rate 0.35 l min− 1 for As and Sb and 0.6 l min− 1 for Se and Sn, concentration of nitric acid used for acidification of the sample 2 M for As and Sb, 0.5 M for Se and 0.1 M for Sn and sodium borohydride concentration: 1.5% for As and Se and 2% for Sb and Sn. Chemical interference of some transition elements that affect the hydride generation process and a trial to mask their interference effect were investigated. Calibration curves were linear and limits of detection calculated on the base of 3σ of the background were found to be as low as 3.9, 6.8, 9.8 and 13.2 ng ml− 1 for As, Se, Sb and Sn, respectively. Finally, the analytical applicability of the arc device was tested by the determination of As in four lake sediment samples, LKSD 1, LKSD 2, LKSD 3 and LKSD 4, of the Centre for Mineral and Energy Technology, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, which have been analyzed for As using atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS). The results were in good agreement with those obtained by AAS.