AAS

RND + METHODS:

RG (Rationale, + other stuff, idk basta)

METHODS:

Standard Solution Preparation

An appropriate amount of CuSO4 ● H2O was weighed in a 100-mL beaker to prepare 10,000 ppm Cu
solution. The weighed copper was then quantitatively transferred to a 100-mL volumetric flask.
Deionized water was then used to dilute the solution to mark. In a similar manner a 1000 ppm Zn stock
solution was prepared by using ZnNO3.

Working standard solutions were then prepared for each stock solution. For the copper standard
solutions 6 concentrations were prepared these are 0 1 2 3 4 5 ppm all of which were prepared in 100
mL volumetric flasks. Deionized water was used to dilute the solution to mark, these solutions were
then filtered using wattman filter papers. While for the zinc standard solutions 5 concentrations were
prepared and these 0 0.5 1.0 1.5 and 2 ppm, these were also prepared in 100 mL volumetric flasks.
These solutions were also diluted to mark using deionized water and were filtered using watt man filter
papers.

Sample Preparation

Water samples were obtained from the sink of DPSM and also from a deep well. Sample solutions were
prepared by adding 10 mL of 0.5M HNO3 into a 100 mL volumetric flask and diluting it to mark using the
acquired tap water samples. The samples solutions were then filtered using wattman filter paper.

Absorbance Measurements

Atomic absorbance of both copper and zinc solutions were measured using the AA-6300 Shimadzu
Atomic Absorbance Spectrophotometer. The absorbances for each element were measured from the
respective standard solutions and also the sample solutions.

RND:

Atomic Absorption Spectrometry is a technique used for determining quantities of chemical elements
present in environmental samples by measuring the absorbed radiation by the chemical element of
interest (Garcia & Baez, 2012). The amount of light at the resonant wavelength which is absorbed as the
light passes through a cloud of atoms is the quantity of the interest in any atomic absorption
measurement. As the number of atoms in the light path increases, the amount of light absorbed also
increases in a predictable manner. Measuring the light absorbed, a quantitative determination of the
amount of analyte element present can be acquired. The utilization of special light sources and careful
selection of wavelengths allow the specific quantitative determination of individual elements in the
presence of others. The atom cloud required in atomic absorption measurements is produced by
supplying enough thermal energy to the sample in order to dissociate the chemical compounds into free
atoms. Under proper flame conditions, most of the atoms will remain in the ground state form and
these are capable of absorbing light at the analytical wavelength from a source lamp. The ease and
speed at which precise and accurate determination can be made with this technique and this have made
atomic absorption one of the most popular methods for the determination of metals (Beaty & Kerber,
1993).

Analysis by spectroscopic methods always necessitates a simple or more complex preparation of the
sample. These steps are generally the most critical part of analysis because these are responsible for the
most important errors. For solid samples which have to be generally brought in a solution in order to
satisfy needs of introduction systems of main spectroscopic methods routinely utilized in the
laboratories (Bader & Zimmermann, 2012). In the sample preparation HNO3 was added to acidify the
solution. This treatment results to prevent the adsorption of trace elements on to walls of the vessel for
relatively long term also it is recommended to use minimally scratched glassware or old vessels to avoid
the increase in the probability of the adsorption phenomena. Additionally, nitric acid is also added to
digest the sample if the sample remain insoluble, this is to prevent clogging as well with the filtering
process (Heonig & Kersabiec, 1996).

In this experiment, copper and zinc content of tap water samples were determined. AAS initially
performs a line search and also beam balancing. This process ensures that the hollow-cathode lamp is
directed towards the flame and also ensures that the appropriate wavelength is to be used. Maximum
absorbance is dependent on the optimum region of the flame and also the position of the flame with
respect to the source (Skoog, et al., 2014).

References:

1. García, R., & Báez, A. P. (2012). Atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS). In Atomic absorption
spectroscopy. InTech.

2. Beaty, R. D., & Kerber, J. D. (1978). Concepts, instrumentation and techniques in atomic absorption
spectrophotometry (p. 27). USA: Perkin-Elmer.

3. Hoenig, M., & de Kersabiec, A.-M. (1996). Sample preparation steps for analysis by atomic
spectroscopy methods: present status. Spectrochimica Acta Part B: Atomic Spectroscopy, 51(11), 1297–
1307. doi:10.1016/0584-8547(96)01507-8

4. Bader, N. R., & Zimmermann, B. (2012). Sample preparation for atomic spectroscopic analysis: An
overview. Adv. Appl. Sci. Res, 3, 1733-1737.

5. Skoog, D. A., West, D. M., Holler, F. J., & Crouch, S. R. (2014). Fundamentals of Analytical Chemistry
(9th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole. https://doi.org/10.1002/97811188271 23