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Updated: Dec 26, 2025

Determination of Inorganic Arsenic in a Wide Range of Food Matrices using Hydride Generation - Atomic Absorption Spectrometry.
Published on: September 1, 2017
Determination of cadmium in lichens by solid sampling graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (SS-GF-AAS)
Pavel Coufalík1, Antonín Uher2, Ondřej Zvěřina3
1Institute of Analytical Chemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Veveří 97, 60200, Brno, Czech Republic. coufalik@iach.cz.
Abstract:
The determination of trace metal contents directly from a solid sample is a trend in modern atomic spectrometry. The aim of this study was to develop an analytical method for the routine determination of Cd in lichens using solid sampling graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (SS-GF-AAS). For the determination of Cd, the temperature program of the graphite furnace was optimized using a mixed matrix modifier (Pd + Mg (NO3)2 + Triton X-100). The limit of detection and the limit of quantification were 0.9 μg/kg and 3 μg/kg, respectively. The analytical method for Cd determination in the plant matrix was verified by the analysis of certified reference materials of lichens, seaweed, and rye grass. The developed procedure was applied to the study of Cd distribution in thalli of Usnea antarctica lichen from James Ross Island, Antarctica. The SS-GF-AAS analytical method is particularly suited for use in environmental studies and plant physiology (the microanalysis of anatomical structures).
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