DETERMINATION OF GOLD BY SLURRY ELECTROTHERMAL ATOMIC-ABSORPTION SPECTROMETRY AFTER PRECONCENTRATION BY ESCHERICHIA-COLI AND PSEUDOMONAS-PUTIDA

The accumulation of gold by bacterial cells and the possibility of usi ng this preconcentration procedure prior to the determination of gold by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry were examined. Both b atch and immobilization techniques for Escherichia coli and Pseudomona s putida were compared. Best analytical parameters were obtained for E . coli using a slurry sampling technique with sensitivity and detectio n limits for gold of 0.001 and 0.004 ng ml-1, respectively, using plat form atomization.