Flow injection-electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry configurations: recent developments and trends

This review aims to provide an account of the state-of-the-art, of recently introduced techniques and of future possibilities offered by flow analysis in order to automate sample pretreatment for electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS). Topics such as on-line solid-liquid extraction, precipitation, coprecipitation, on-wall retention, solvent extraction and chemical vapor generation processes are used to illustrate the versatility of coupling flow injection (Fl) for analyte separation and preconcentration in the flow system or in the atomizer, The use of FI to make the introduction of slurries and highly viscous samples easier is considered as well as on-line microwave sample digestion. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.