Analysis of trace metals in sodium by flameless atomic absorption spectrophotometry

The estimation of trace metallic impurities in sodium is normally carried out by distilling off the sodium in vacuuum and analysing the residue by atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS). This paper describes the direct determination of the following impurities (viz.) Fe, Co, Ni, Cr, Mn, Ca, and Cu in sodium without going through the distillation step. Here sodium is simply dissolved and the solution is subjected to analysis by AAS using flameless atomisation in a graphite furnace. The method of standard additions is employed. Preliminary experiments were carried out to study the matrix effect of sodium on the atomic absorption of cobalt. It has been found that if pyrolysis is done at 12500C for 20 seconds prior to atomisation, the bulk of the sodium nitrate matrix could be successfully removed. The use of the optimum pyrolysis temperatures for the various elements listed above and the matrix interference on the absorbances of these analytes are discussed in this paper. The precision and accuracy of our analytical procedure is also presented. (orig.)