Arsine and selenium hydride trapping in a novel quartz device for atomic-absorption spectrometry

A novel quartz device has been designed to trap arsine and selenium hydride and subsequently to volatilize the collected analyte and atomize it for atomic-absorption spectrometric detection. The device is actually the multiple microflame quartz-tube atomizer (multiatomizer) with inlet arm modified to serve as the trap and to accommodate the oxygen-delivery capillary used to combust hydrogen during the trapping step. The effect of relevant experimental conditions (trap temperature during trapping and hydrogen flow rate and trap temperature during volatilization) on collection and volatilization efficiency was investigated. Under the optimum conditions collection and volatilization efficiency for arsenic and selenium were 50 and 70%, respectively.