Trace detection of Se, As, and Sb atoms has been performed by electrothermal atomization laser-induced fluorescence (ETA-LIF) approaches. Production of far-UV radiation necessary for excitation of As atoms at 193.696 nm and Se atoms at 196.026 nm was accomplished by stimulated Raman shifting (SRS) of the output of a frequency-doubled dye laser operating near 230 nm. Both wavelengths were obtained as second-order anti-Stokes shifts of the dye laser radiation and provided up to 10 μJ/pulse, which was shown through power dependence studies to be sufficient for saturation in the ETA. An excited-state direct line fluorescence approach using excitation at 206.279 nm was also investigated for the LIF detection of Se. High-sensitivity LIF of Sb atoms was accomplished using 206.833-nm excitation and detection at 259.805 nm. The accuracy of the ETA-LIF approaches was demonstrated by determining the As and Se content of aqueous reference samples. The limits of detection (absolute mass) were 200 fg by ground-state LIF and 150 fg by excited-state direct line fluorescence for Se, 200 fg for As, and 10 fg for Sb; these LODs compare favorably with results reported previously in the literature for ETA-LIF, GFAAS, and ICP-MS methods.

A procedure for the direct determination of arsenic in diluted serum by electrothermal atomization laser-excited atomic fluorescence spectrometry (ETA-LEAFS) is reported. Laser radiation needed to excite As at 193.696 and 197.197 nm is generated as the second anti-Stokes stimulated Raman scattering output of a frequency-doubled dye laser operating near 230.5 and 235.5 nm, respectively. Two different LEAFS schemes have been utilized and provide limits of detection of 200-300 fg for As in aqueous standards. When measurements of serum samples diluted 1:10 with deionized water are performed, a stable background signal is observed that can be accounted for by taking measurements with the laser tuned off-wavelength. No As is detected in any of the bovine or human serum samples analyzed. Measurements of 100 pg/mL standard additions of As to a diluted bovine serum sample utilizing either inorganic or organic As species demonstrate a linear relationship of the fluorescence signal to As spike concentration, but exhibit a sensitivity of approximately half that observed in pure aqueous standards. The limit of detection for As in 1:10 diluted serum samples is 65 pg/mL or 650 fg absolute mass, which corresponds to 0.65 ng/mL As in undiluted serum. To our knowledge, the ETA-LEAFS procedure is currently the only one capable of directly measuring As in diluted serum at these levels.