Direct ultratrace determination of cadmium in Antarctic and Greenland snow and ice by laser atomic fluorescence spectrometry

Results of the first direct measurements of Cd in Antarctic and Greenland ancient ice and recent snow at ultratrace levels by ultra-sensitive laser-excited atomic fluorescence spectrometry with electro-thermal atomization are presented. Ultratrace concentration Cd standards allowed calibration of the spectrometer down to the 0.1 pg Cd g-1 level. The limit of detection was found to be as low as about 0.01 pg Cd g-1 using 50-μl sample volumes, which corresponds to a minimum detected Cd absolute mass of about 0.5 fg. Various Antarctic and Greenland samples were then analysed without any preliminary pre-concentration step. (author). 27 refs.; 3 figs.; 3 tabs