Measurement of Arsenic and Selenium in White Rice and River Water by Hydride Generation-Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (HG-AAS) with Electric Cell Heating

The hydride generation method commonly used for atomic absorption spectrometry involves sending the hydrogen compound gas (AsH3 and H2Se) generated in a hydride vapor generator into a quartz absorption cell and atomizing the elements by thermal decomposition. Then either a flame or electric heating (furnace) is used to heat the absorption cell. Electric heating avoids the need for gas supplies required for the flame method (acetylene and air) and offers about 1.5 times higher sensitivity than the flame method for As and Se measurements.
In this example, hydride generation-atomic absorption spectrometry (HG-AAS) with an electric cell heater for heating the absorption cell was used to measure arsenic and selenium in certified white rice reference material and certified river water reference materials.