High current–density anodic electrodissolution in flow–injection systems for the determination of aluminium, copper and zinc in non–ferroalloys by flame atomic absorption spectrometry

An automatic procedure with a high current-density anodic electrodissolution unit (HDAE) is proposed for the determination of aluminium, copper and zinc in non-ferroalloys by flame atomic absorption spectrometry, based on the direct solid analysis. It consists of solenoid valve-based commutation in a flow-injection system for on-line sample electro-dissolution and calibration with one multi-element standard, an electrolytic cell equipped with two electrodes (a silver needle acts as cathode, and sample as anode), and an intelligent unit. The latter is assembled in a PC-compatible microcomputer for instrument control, and for data acquisition and processing. General management of the process is achieved by use of software written in Pascal. Electrolyte compositions, flow rates, commutation times, applied current and electrolysis time were investigated. A 0.5 mol l(-1) HN0(3) solution was elected as electrolyte and 300 A/cm(2) as the continuous current pulse. The performance of the proposed system was evaluated by analysing aluminium in Al-alloy samples, and copper/zinc in brass and bronze samples, respectively. The system handles about 50 samples per hour. Results are precise (R.S.D. < 2%) and in agreement with those obtained by ICP-AES and spectrophotometry at a 95% confidence level.