Palladium–citric acid–ammonium fluoride as a matrix modifier for overcoming of interferences occurring during the direct determination of Sn in aqua regia extracts from environmental samples by D2-ETAAS

When tin is to be determined in such a complex matrix like aqua regia extracts of environmental samples by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS), spectral interferences occur when deuterium-lamp (D2) background correction is used, even using high pyrolysis temperature of 1400 °C achieved with palladium with citric acid chemical modifier. We have found that the further addition of NH4F to palladium with citric acid chemical modifier is essential for overcoming the above-mentioned problems for which aluminium oxide is most probably responsible. It is supposed, that NH4F enables volatilization of the alumina matrix formed by hydrolysis from the chloride salt and interfering in a gas phase via the formation of AlF3 which could be, in contrast to aluminium oxide, removed from the graphite furnace during the pyrolysis stage. Using the proposed chemical modifier, the direct and accurate determination of Sn in aqua regia extracts from rocks, soils and sediments is possible even when using matrix free standard solutions. This presumption was confirmed by the analysis of certified reference samples and by the comparison with inductively coupled plasma time of flight mass spectrometry (ICP-TOFMS) method. Characteristic mass and LOD value for the original sample (10-μL aliquots of sample) was 17 pg and 0.055 μg g−1, respectively.