CONTINUOUS-FLOW MICROWAVE-ASSISTED DIGESTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL-SAMPLESUSING ATOMIC SPECTROMETRIC DETECTION

A continuous-flow microwave-assisted digestion technique was tested wi th a view to the evaluation of its effectiveness for decomposition of environmental samples. A CEM SpectroPrep system was used at moderate p owers and pressures of up to 2413 kPa to perform on-line digestion of slurried samples of biological tissues (0.5% m/v) and marine sediment (1% m/v), The efficiency of oxidation of biological matrices, as chara cterized by the residual carbon content of the solutions, was 64%. Rec overy;of trace elements averaged 90+/-1% and was accommodated with the use of suitable internal standards. Accuracy was verified by analysis of certified reference materials from the National Research Council o f Canada, marine sediment BCSS-1 and lobster hepatopancreas tissue LUT S-1. Precision of measurement, as reflected in the; determination of t he trace metal content in replicate solutions, using a variety of atom ic spectrometric techniques, was better than 1% RSD (relative standard deviation).