Author Description

A comparison is made of the Mini-Massman, the NIM rod, and the carbon tube, with respect to sensitivity, precision, and interference. Of the three devices, the carbon tube was found to be the most sensitive and precise, to have the lowest limit of detection, and to be accompanied by the least interferences. Its sensitivity is much higher than that for a flame cell, and its precision is equally high. The determination of palladium by the use of the graphite-tube device was studied from the point of view of interference and the effect of some releasing agents. There was some evidence that volatilization was suppressed by elements that have high boiling points and that are non-volatile under the analytical conditions. Of the releasing agents examined (uranium, vanadium, lanthanum, copper, and cadmium), cadmium was the most effective.