Determination of lead in gasoline by atomic absorption spectroscopy

Determination of lead in gasoline by atomic absorption spectrometry using a total consumption burner

“…Maximum signal is reached almost immediately with the total consumption burner, and there are no memory effects. This contrasts with the unsatisfactory lead alkyl response characteristics of the premix burner observed by us and others (1,(4)(5)(6).…”

“…Atomic absorption, because of its combination of sensitivity, precision, and speed, is the most attractive approach for the laboratory determination of lead in gasoline, but the analysis is not straightforward. Problems encountered when using premix burners include slow response, memory effects, different responses for the various lead alkyls, and different responses for organic and inorganic standards (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6). Some authors (1-3) claim that these problems can be overcome by a combination of solvent selection (isooctane), careful attention to operating parameters (notably a lean flame), and calibration with lead alkyls.…”

“…Others report that constant aspiration and washout times are necessary to compensate for slow response and memory effects (4) and that burner height is important (5). However, atomic absorption methods involving chemical pretreatment to convert lead alkyls to lead iodide and calibration with inorganic standards (6,7) have recently gained favor, culminating in their adoption as standard procedures by ASTM (D3237-73) and the Canadian Government (3).…”

Sample introduction and atomization of volatile alkyllead compounds in flame atomic absorption spectrometry

“…Determination of total lead content and alkyllead composition of two commercial gasolines and a synthetic blend by the proposed FAAS technique; values are given f SD for n=5 …”