THE WICKBOLD COMBUSTION METHOD FOR THE DETERMINATION OF MERCURY UNDERSTATISTICAL ASPECTS

The combination of the Wickbold combustion apparatus with a mercury/hy dride atomic absorption spectrometer for the routine determination of mercury is investigated. A flow injection system is used to introduce the solution from the decomposition into the spectrometer. The data ob tained are treated by several statistical tests which have been recomm ended for quality control purposes. Simplicity of the statistical trea tment is emphasized. The mercury content of certified reference materi als is determined using the Wickbold combustion unit, and the resultin g data are analyzed statistically.