Study on the determination of trace europium in rare earths by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS)

The atomization behaviours of Eu in standard graphite tube, pyrolytically coated tube and STPF graphite tube were studied, and the effects of foreign elements on the determination of Eu were also studied. A sensitive method for the accurate determination of Eu in rare earths by GFAAS with pyrolytically coated tube and NH4Cl as a matrix modifier was developed. Its sensitivity was enhanced by 190%, and no interference was found from other rare earth elements. The sensitivity of this method for Eu is 8×10-3 ng per 0.0044A, and the linear range for Eu2O3 is from zero to 144 ng/ml. The relative standard deviation is 3.7% for 0.72μg/ml Eu.