Electrochemical selenium hydride generation with in situ trapping in graphite tube atomizers

A manifold coupling continuous electrolytic hydride generation of volatile hydrides with atomization in graphite tube atomizers after in situ collection was used for Se(IV) determination. Laboratory-made thin-layer flow-through cells with lead wire (cell I) and granular lead (cell II) as the cathode material were used as the electrolytic generators of volatile selenium hydride. The automatic sampling equipment of the graphite atomizer, with an untreated fused silica capillary, was used both for the introduction of volatile hydride into the atomizer and for pretreatment of the graphite furnace surface with a palladium modifier. The influence of the experimental parameters on the analytical signal was studied and optimum conditions for selenium determination were found. The optimum experimental parameters for hydride generation were: catholyte (1 mol l−1 HCl)/anolyte (2 mol l−1 H2SO4) flow rate of 2.0 ml min−1; applied generation current of 1.2 A (cell I) and 0.8 A (cell II); and carrier gas flow rate of 40 (cell I) and 70 ml min−1 (cell II). The hydride generated was collected in the graphite tube (pre-treated with 5 μg of Pd reduced at 800 °C) at a temperature of 400 °C for 30 s. The overall efficiency of H2Se electrochemical generation, transport and collection was 71±7% for cell I and 80±5% for cell II. The results for electrochemical generation of H2Se (cell II) (absolute limit of detection 50 pg, 3σ criterion) were compared with the original generation of H2Se using NaBH4 as a reduction agent (absolute limit of detection 30 pg) and with conventional liquid sampling. The repeatability at the 1.0 ng ml−1 level was better than 2.4% (relative standard deviation) for electrochemical hydride generation and better than 2.8% for chemical hydride generation.