DETERMINATION OF METALS IN AEROSOLS BY GFAAS FOLLOWING ELECTROSTATIC PRECIPITATION AND ABSORPTION PULSE RESTORATION

A method of direct sampling of air-bourne matter with a graphite furna ce (GF) using an electrostatic field to trap it on the interior tube w all has been applied to the determination of metals in air trace conce ntrations. In this case, the GF combines the functions of both sample collector and atomizer. The combination of electrostatic accumulation of aerosols in the graphite tube with restoration of absorbance pulses in Zeeman atomic absorption spectrometry extends the dynamic range of measurements by 1.5-2 orders of magnitude compared with the usual met hod of registration of integrated absorbance. The limit of detection o f metals in air is at least three orders of magnitude lower than can b e realised in the case of application of traditional aersol collection systems using sampling on filters.