ADVANCES IN ULTRASONIC SLURRY GRAPHITE-FURNACE ATOMIC-ABSORPTION SPECTROMETRY

Ultrasonic slurry graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry is a useful technique for automated direct analysis of solids. The effectiveness of ultrasonic agitation for mixing samples is demonstrated. This analytical approach is evaluated to identify sources of imprecision. Strategies for optimizing slurry preparations are discussed, focusing on particle size, density, analyte partitioning, and sampling limitations. Finally, a teflon bead method is presented for grinding biological and botanical samples. An optimized general approach for ultrasonic slurry sampling is presented.