Ultratrace Determination of Tin, Germanium, and Selenium by Hydride Generation Coupled with a Novel Solution-Cathode Glow Discharge-Atomic Emission Spectrometry Method

Abstract

We herein describe a novel method of hydride generation (HG) coupled to a newly designed atmospheric pressure solution-cathode glow discharge (SCGD) spectrometric technique for the ultratrace determination of tin, germanium, and selenium. In this novel SCGD process, gas introduction was permitted using a hollow titanium tube as both the anode and sampling port. In these experiments, the analytes were converted into volatile hydrides upon passing through the hydride generator, and were introduced into the near-anode region of the SCGD system, where they were detected directly by atomic emission spectrometry (AES). A significant improvement in both selectivity and sensitivity was achieved, which was reflected in an improvement in the detection limits (DLs) by 3 orders of magnitude, in addition to successful valence analysis of Se without the requirement for chromatographic separation. In the absence of a strict sample pretreatment process and with a reduction in electrolyte consumption, the detection limits of Sn, Ge, and Se were determined to be 0.8, 0.5, and 0.2 μg·L. Moreover, our HG-SCGD-AES system demonstrated excellent repeatability (<3% peak height relative standard deviation) and more than 2 orders of linear dynamic range. The optimal operating conditions are outlined herein, and the analytical performance of the system is evaluated as described. Furthermore, our method was applied for the analysis of Sn, Ge, and Se in both environmental and biological samples, and the obtained results were in good agreement with reference values.

Characterization of plasma in aqueous solution using bipolar pulsed power: Tailoring plasma and optical emission with implication for detecting lead

“…Plasma spectroscopy offers advantages such as the capability of simultaneous detection of multiple elements, very little or no cross‐element interference, process flexibility, and rapid detection, unlike other widely used detection techniques, such as electrochemical sensors, colorimetric assays, atomic absorption spectroscopy, and fluorescence spectroscopy . Many studies have developed analyzing platforms under different arrangements to enhance the sensitivity and reduce the limits of detection (LODs), such as using a flowing liquid as an anode or cathode, applying a noble gas as discharge ambience, fabricating a microfluidic chip, and integrating preheating or preseparation processes before plasma discharge . Although plasma‐spectroscopy‐based techniques have been widely reported, they generally require a rather sophisticated design and rearrangement of system hardware to boost the LOD and sensitivity.…”

Flow Injection Photochemical Vapor Generation Coupled with Miniaturized Solution-Cathode Glow Discharge Atomic Emission Spectrometry for Determination and Speciation Analysis of Mercury

“…More recently, the sensitivity for Se, Sn, and Ge has been significantly improved by HG-SCGD-AES. 24 Furthermore, HG-SCGD-AES was successfully applied to the valence analysis of selenium without the requirement for chromatographic separation. 24 However, traditional HG systems suffer from some problems, such as relatively expensive and unstable reagents, large amounts of H 2 generated, and serious interference from transition elements.…”

“…The miniature spectrometer equipped with CCD detector was integrated with the SCGD to make the instrument more compact and portable, due to its small volume and absence of moving parts. Parts of the SCGD-AES used here were similar to those used in our former studies, 24 but modified to use miniaturized CCD spectrograph in place of the monochromator equipped with a photomultiplier (PMT) detector. The SCGD microplasma was generated and sustained between a 3.5 mm vertical gap between a hollow titanium tube (inner diameter, 1.0 mm; outer diameter, 2.5 mm) and a solution emerging from a glass capillary (inner diameter, 0.38 mm; outer diameter, 1.1 mm).…”

“…Further details on the SCGD cell can be found in earlier papers. 10,24 Optical emission from the SCGD was collected and directed to the CCD spectrograph by a fused silica lens (25 mm diameter, 50 mm focal length) and an optical fiber. The optical fiber probe was mounted on a platform equipped with three independent micrometer screw gauges, so that it could be adjusted precisely in the x, y, and z directions to obtain the maximum signal output.…”

“…Both cold vapor generation (CVG) and hydride generation (HG) have been successfully coupled to APGD-AES for the determination of Hg, As, Se, and Sb. More recently, the sensitivity for Se, Sn, and Ge has been significantly improved by HG-SCGD-AES . Furthermore, HG-SCGD-AES was successfully applied to the valence analysis of selenium without the requirement for chromatographic separation .…”