DEVELOPMENT OF A MODIFIED THERMOSPRAY FOR COUPLING REVERSE-PHASE HPLCWITH GAAS FOR HIGHLY SENSITIVE CADMIUM SPECIATION IN HUMAN URINE

The use of a Thermospray (TSP) in flame atomic absorption (FAA) increa ses sensitivity. Experimental data showed that a 75 mu m orifice and 0 .05 cm 1D capillary produced a sensitivity increase of about 10(4) com pared to commercial flame atomizer. The signal was independent of powe r input over a considerable power range. Based on this data a TSP nebu lizer was built and used for interfacing HPLC and FAA. The instrument was used for cadmium speciation studies on urine. The presence of nume rous cadmium compounds was revealed. With further modification on TSP construction design, even higher analytical sensitivity for ultra trac e metal analysis and better compatibility for interfacing HPLC with MS , ICP-MS, FAAS, and ICP-AES can be expected.