Microwave-induced combustion system was coupled to a metallic flame furnace (FF) atomic absorption spectrometer and applied for cadmium determination in blood. Lyophilized blood samples were prepared as pellets, positioned on a quartz holder and introduced into a glass chamber used for the combustion step. The glass chamber was coupled to the metallic flame furnace by using polytetrafluoroethylene and quartz tubes. Ignition was performed by microwave radiation using ammonium nitrate solution added to a small piece of previously cleaned paper. Oxygen was used to assist the sample combustion and also to transport combustion products up to the FF heated by an air/acetylene flame. High purity graphite powder was mixed with samples before pellets preparation. The volume of NH4NO3 solution, oxygen flow-rate, flame stoichiometry, sample holder type and the sample mass range were evaluated. Calibration step was feasible using adsorbed reference solution in pelletized high purity graphite avoiding the use of certified reference material (CRM). Sample masses up to 56 µg could be used allowing quantification limit of 0.018 µg g-1 and characteristic mass of 50 pg Cd. Low values for blanks were obtained (integrated absorbance lower than 0.01 s) and results were considered satisfactory regarding to both accuracy (agreement with results using CRMs between 95 to 99%), and precision (relative standard deviation < 12%). Up to 15 determinations can be performed per hour including the weighing step.
flame furnace atomic absorption spectrometry; microwave induced combustion; cadmium determination; solid sampling; blood analysis
