The performance of a tungsten coil atomizer atomic absorption spectrometer with a D2 lamp continuum source, a Czerny-Turner monochromator, and a charge coupled device detector was evaluated for the determination of Zn. The main attractive characteristics of the instrument are its simplicity and the relative low cost of the atomizer. In spite of a poor limit of detection (40 µg L-1, 3 blank standard deviation/slope), Zn was accurately determined in one water and one urine certified reference standards. The recovery in water was 106% and in urine the obtained result is in the acceptable certified range.
atomic absorption spectrometry; tungsten coil atomizer; continuum source; zinc
