Trace measurements of tellurium, tin and other metals by atomic and laser spectroscopy techniques

Abstract

Sample introduction by using hydride generation (HG) technique enhances the sensitivity of certain hydride forming elements. In this study, methods have been investigated for the quantitative detection of Tellurium (Te), Tin (Sn), and other elements using HG coupled to Laser Induced Fluorescence (LIF), Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS), and Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-AES) detection techniques. In these studies, samples were subjected to HG and the resulting hydrides were carried to the flame atomizer in LIF, inductively coupled plasma in ICP-AES, and laser induced plasma in LIBS. The analytical figures of merit of these studies were evaluated to show the relative performance of each technique. The limits of detections (LOD) of Te and Sn were found to be 0.008 ppb and 0.07 ppb using HG-LIF, 1 ppm and 1 ppm using HG-LIBS and 2 ppm and 1 ppm using ICP-AES techniques. The results demonstrate that the combination of HG with LIF technique provides greater sensitivity as compared to the LIBS and ICP-AES techniques.