A new technique of arsenic determination based on electrolytic arsine generation and atomic absorption spectroscopy

Abstract

A method for the determination of traces of arsenic in food has been developed based on electrolytic arsine generation and atomic absorption spectroscopy detection. The essence of the method is the addition of copper and tin salts to the electrolyte solution, enabling a fast and effective arsine evolution. The advantage of this method lies in the fact that it enables the simultaneous concentration of heavy metals, such as cadmium and lead, on cathode. The applicability of the method was illustrated by determining the arsenic content in some food samples based on vegetable oils and by comparing the results with those obtained by the classical technique of chemical hydriding with sodium tetrahydroborate.