Continuous Flow Chemical Vapor Generation for the Determination of Cadmium in Foodstuffs by Atomic Absorption Spectrometry Using Derivative Signal Processing

Abstract.

A method has been developed for the generation of a “cold vapor” of cadmium by means of continuous flow chemical vapor generation from aqueous samples and for use in derivative atomic absorption spectrometry. Variables such as acidity, reducing agent concentration, atomization temperature, argon flow rate, reaction coil length, and other parameters were optimized. Detection limits and repeatability were measured, and cadmium was also determined in certified reference material and in tap water. The results showed that the proposed automated method is simple and accurate with a detection limit of 0.021 ng mL⁻¹ when the derivative system’s sensitivity was 2 mV min⁻¹