DETERMINATION OF METALS IN ATMOSPHERIC AEROSOLS BY ZEEMAN ATOMIC-ABSORPTION SPECTROMETRY WITH ABSORPTION PULSE RESTORATION

It is shown that a linear relationship exists between the amount of Cd , Cu, Mn, and Pb electrostatically accumulated in a graphite furnace a nd the air volume drawn through the furnace. Compared to the commonly used method of measuring the absorption pulse area, the method of puls e shape restoration extends the analytical range for metals by 1.5-2 o rders of magnitude. If electrostatic accumulation in a graphite furnac e is used, the concentration detection limits of metals in atmosperic air are three orders of magnitude lower than those attained in atomic- absorption spectrometry employing aspiration through filters. Under th e same sampling conditions, the error of determination of elements in air does not exceed 10%. This result should be recognized as satisfact ory, because an error of 25% is considered tolerable in most recommend ed procedures [13].