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Flow injection-hydride generation-atomic fluorescence spectrometry was a widely used method in the industries of health, environmental, geological and metallurgical fields for the merit of high sensitivity, wide measurement range and fast analytical speed. However, optimization of this method was too difficult as there exist so many parameters affecting the sensitivity and broadening. Generally, the optimal conditions were sought through several experiments. The present paper proposed a mathematical model between the parameters and sensitivity/broadening coefficients using the law of conservation of mass according to the characteristics of hydride chemical reaction and the composition of the system, which was proved to be accurate as comparing the theoretical simulation and experimental results through the test of arsanilic acid standard solution. Finally, this paper has put a relation map between the parameters and sensitivity/broadening coefficients, and summarized that GLS volume, carrier solution flow rate and sample loop volume were the most factors affecting sensitivity and broadening coefficients. Optimizing these three factors with this relation map, the relative sensitivity was advanced by 2.9 times and relative broadening was reduced by 0.76 times. This model can provide a theoretical guidance for the optimization of the experimental conditions.

The present paper describes a simple method for the determination of trace elements in sunflower seeds by using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) and inductively coupled plasma spectrometry (ICP-MS). HNO3 + H2O2 were used to achieve the complete decomposition of the organic matrix in a closed-vessel microwave oven. The contents of 10 trace elements (Al, B, Ca, Fe, K, Mg, Na, Si, P and S) in sunflower seeds were determined by ICP-OES while 18 trace elements (As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Li, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Rb, Sr, Sn, Sb, Ti, V and Zn) were determined by ICP-MS. The rice reference material (GBW10045) was used as standard reference materials. The results showed a good agreement between measured and certified values for all analytes. The concentrations of necessary micro elements Ca, K, Mg, P and S were higher. This method was simple, sensitive and precise and can perform simultaneous multi-elements determination of sunflower seeds.

Environmental pollution can cause poisoning, disease and death of organisms, and the absorption and the accumulation of different biological tissues on pollutants are different. The absorption of heavy metal elements of various biological tissues on pollutants is an important biomedical research problem. In the present paper, a laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) method was used to quantitatively analyze heavy metal elements in various tissues of some contaminated fish samples. Optimal experimental parameters were obtained in the LIBS experiments for these fish samples, calibration curves for plumbum and barium elements were fitted and the contents of heavy metal elements were determined with the external calibration approach. Experimental results showed that there was the heavy metal accumulation in fish liver mouth, and gills etc, however the heavy metal content in fish meat is very low. The proposed method can be used for the assessment studies of the influence of pollution on the organisms, and can be promoted in the biomedical fields.

The objective of the present paper is to explore the experimental changes in the content of Zn, Fe, Cu, Mn, Cr, Pb and Cd in white rabbit liver with atherosclerosis disease. The method is to reproduce white rabbit liver with atherosclerosis disease by a high-fat diet, and then measure the Zn, Fe, Cu, Mn, Cr, Pb and Cd content with atomic absorption spectrometry. Results show that the Zn, Fe, Cu, Mn, Cr, Pb and Cd contents in the fodders of the normal group are 137.6, 362.3, 14.39, 9.599 mg x kg(-1) and 159.3, 355.0, 290.0 microg x kg(-1), and 86.09, 277.1, 11.07, 5.366 mg x kg(-1) and 115.2, 286.0, 210.5 microg x kg(-1), in high-adipose group. It was concluded that Zn, Fe, Cu, Mn, Cr, Pb and Cd contents in white rabbit liver decline, which may have something to do with the intake of foods and the abnormalities of lipoprotein metabolism.

Enteral nutritional powder (VIVONEX) is mainly used to provide nourishment for critical patients and those patients who have just undergone surgical operation. Microelements included in it exert significant influence on the patients' physical functioning. In the present paper, Enteral nutritional powder was digested with HNO3 by microwave digestion. After that, the content of eight metal elements in it, K, Na, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn, was determined by FAAS. With the good linear correlations of standard curves (r = 0.999 2-0.999 8), the recovery (n = 6) ranging from 97% to 103%, and the RSD (n = 6) from 0.46% to 1.12%, the method can be applied to simultaneous determination of several metal elements in enteral nutritional powder, and offers advantages of low detection limit, high sensitivity, speediness and accuracy. The determination of metal elements in samples by this method gives satisfactory results. Hence, the method helps to guarantee quality control of this kind of medicine, and supplies statistical evidence for the safety of clinical drug use.

The contents of eleven trace elements in Boletus tomentipes were determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). The results showed that the fruiting bodies of B. tomentipes were very rich in Mg and Fe (>100 mg x kg(-1)) and rich in Mn, Zn and Cu (>10 mg x kg(-1)). Cr, Pb, Ni, Cd, and As were relatively minor contents (0.1-10.0 mg x kg(-1)) of this species, while Hg occurred at the smallest content (< 0.1 mg x kg(-1)). Among the determined 11 trace elements, Zn-Cu had significantly positive correlation (r = 0.659, P < 0.05), whereas, Hg-As, Ni-Fe, and Zn-Mg had significantly negative correlation (r = -0.672, -0.610, -0.617, P < 0.05). This paper presented the trace elements properties of B. tomentipes, and is expected to be useful for exploitation and quality evaluation of this species.

In the present paper, the contents of Ca, Fe, Zn, Mg, Cu, Mn, Cr, Pb and Cd in garlic which comes from different groups of Xinjiang were measured by wet digestion and flame-atomic absorption spectrometry. And the standard addition recovery experiment was done. The results of recovery experiment show that the atomic absorption spectrometry is a quick and easy method for determining; The correlation coefficient of each standard curve was between 0.9944 and 0.9998, with good linear relationship; The relative standard deviation (RSD) of each result is less than 5.15%, the recovery rate of each sample was between 99.4% and 101.7%, and the determination results are correct and reliable. The results show that the beneficial elements are richer in the garlic of Xinjiang, and the contents of trace elements are different among different places. To some extent, the difference in contents reflects the difference in the topography, climate, soil, hydrology and other environmental factor between the south and the north of Xinjiang.

The golden buckwheat Fagopyrum dibotrys produced in Yunnan has a unique anti-cancer effects. It is a main raw material of "Wei Mai ning" capsules which is the national second-class anti-cancer drug. The present paper used (5 : 1) mixed acid as digestive juice to process the sample, and determine the twelve elements including K, Ca, Cu, Na, Mg, Mn, Fe, Zn, Pb, Cr, Cd and Co in the Fagopyrum dibotrys by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry(ICP-AES). The detection limits of this method were 0.017-0.084 microg x mL(-1), the RSDs (n = 8) were all 0.09%-1.87%, and the addition standard recoveries(ASR) (n = 8) were 98.2%-107.4% for all elements. The research results showed that there is rich K(1 477.3 microg x g(-1)) in the Fagopyrum dibotrys, there are not harmful elements Cd and Pb, and this result is mainly related to the geochemistry background where the sample lived. The contents of seven remaining kinds of elements ranked as Na (826.1) > Ca (765.2 > Mg (493.4) > Zn (112.7) > Fe (56.5) > Cu (11.4) > Mn (4.49 microg x g(-1)). This result provides some theoretical basis for the study of internal relations between trace elements in Fagopyrum dibotrys and efficacy. It' s also useful for better development and utilization of the resource.

The analytical method for the determination of methylmercury in seabird excrements was established using atomic fluorescence spectrometry coupled with microwave-assisted extraction In general, temperature and hydrochloric amount are the most important influencing factors on the extraction of MeHg in the samples, and the present paper optimized these two parameters. The result showed that 120 degrees C and 200 microL 6 mol x L(-1) hydrochloric acid are the best extraction conditions. Under these experimental conditions, the relative standard deviation (RSD) values of reduplicative analyses on standard reference material (human hair powder) and the same seabird excrement sample were 0.74% and 6.61% respectively, and their percent recoveries were over 90%. The combination of microwave-assisted extraction and atomic fluorescence spectrometry has many advantages such as simple operation, high sensitivity, low detection limit and low cost, therefore, it is suitable for rapid separation and analysis of trace methylmercury composition in the biological guanos. Using this method, we analyzed the methylmercury contents in the ancient and fresh seabird droppings taken from Xisha Islands of South China Sea, and the result showed that the Xisha guanos were rich in methylmercury and the large input of seabird guanos will cause serious environmental contamination in the remote island ecosystem of Xisha Islands.

The present paper is aimed to establish the method of determining the strontium in M. nitida Benth. var. hirsutissima. Z. Wei. by means of air-acetylene flame atomic absorption spectra, and also provide reference for the determination of the strontium in other traditional Chinese medicine. M. Nitida Benthvarhirsutissima Z. Wei. was taken as the object. The authors used nitric-perchloric acid as digestion solution to digest samples by microwave which was controlled by pressure, and used EDTA-2Na as the releasing agent to add in the samples for determining the strontium in M. nitida Benth. var. hirsutissima. Z. Wei. by FAAS. The results showed that the samples were entirely digested by microwave. The working curve was Y = 0.036 5x -0.001 1, r = 0.999 4, the range was 0-1.6 microg x mL(-1), the average recovery rate was 101.5% with RSD 2.04%, and the method detection limit was 0.008 2 microg x mL(-1) (n = 21). It is concluded that this method is simple and accurate. It has high sensitivity and can be effectively used for determining the strontium in this traditional Chinese medicine.

Extractable trace level lead in artificial sweat solution from ecological textiles is a key item limited by eco-textile standard. But the content of this extractable Pb is not so easy to determine for the strict limit of eco-textile standard, the complicatedness of extractable solution matrix and the strong background interference of NaCl. In the present paper a method for the determination of trace extractable lead in artificial acid sweat from ecological textiles by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) is described. Based on a number of experiments by using different single and mixed matrix modifiers including (NH4)2 H2PO4, NH4 NO3, Pd(NO3)2, Ni(NO3)2 and ascorbic acid, an effective modifier and its quantity were selected and the graphite furnace operating parameters were optimized. Experimental test results revealed that adding 5 mL (1 : 1) mixed solution of 50 g x L(-1) ammonium nitrate and 100 mg x L(-1) palladium regent was an effective way to inhibit volatile lead and reduce background signals. The detection limit could reach a low level of 0.7 microg x L(-1). The relative standard deviation was 3.2%. Under the optimum experimental conditions, the recoveries ranged between 95.5% and 105%.

The sample feeding system of inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) is pneumatic nebulization system, but its efficiency is not good. The ultrasonic nebulization technology possesses advantages of high nebulization efficient and fine droplets, and it is free of blocking phenomenon. It has good application perspective in nebulization technology. In the present paper the authors study the working conditions of ultrasonic nebulizer such as carrier gas flow, injection time, injection rate and mode of washing that are likely to affect the detection results, and study the detecting conditions of several elements such as As and Se etc. that have poorly detection limits in normal ICP-AES methods. At the same time, the application of them in biochemical samples was studied. Testing results show that carrier gas flow, injection rate and injection time can greatly affect the intensity of spectral lines, and the ultrasonic nebulizer sample feeding system can increase the spectral line intensity and decrease the detection limit elements such as As, Pb, Se, Bi, Ge, Mo, Cd and Cu by about 10-25 times. Moreover, this ultrasonic nebulizer sample feeding system can reduce the time of memory effect by washing the sample cell.

In the present paper, the contents of 8 elements in brown rice of 789 accessions core collection for rice landrace from 16 prefectures of five rice regions in Yunnan province were determined by ICP-AES technique. The method proves to be simple, rapid, highly sensitive and accurate, and can be used to determine many elements at the same time. Its recovery ratio obtained by standard addition method ranged from 97.1% to 110.2%, and its RSD was from 0.7% to 4.4%. The analytical results showed that the elemental concentrations (mg x kg(-1) ) in brown rice are in turn of P(3 834.83 +/- 486.49) > K(2 567.72 +/- 336.74) > Mg (2 567.72 +/- 336.74) > Ca (153.67 +/- 55.90) > Zn( 33.35 +/- 13.65) > Fe(32.08 +/- 25.51) > Cu (14.22 +/- 11.85) > Mn(13.58 +/- 3.22). The highest P content is in brown rice from the northwest Yunnan with the rich nonferrous metals and most abundance of biodiversity in the world, the highest Ca, Mg, Fe and Zn concentrations are in brown rice from the middle Yunnan with early cambrian fauna and phosphorite enrichment, and the highest Cu and Mn contents are in brown rice from the southwest Yunnan with the prominent crop diversity. The distributing zones with the highest P and K, middle Ca, Mg and Mn and lowest Fe and Zn in Yunnan are the enrichment zone of minal resources and largest biodiversity. As far as we know, this is the first report that the zonal characterstics of mineral elemental concentractions in brown rice are associated with a lot of factors, such as biodiversity center, enrichment zone of minal resources, origin of life, mountain ranges and rivers and so on, and further it was deduced that the asymmetry of distribution for mineral elements and its reciprocity of mountain ranges and rivers are the key of origin of life. The above results provided reliable data and theory bases for the malnourished Fe and Zn and Ca for 4 billion people in the world, origin of life, the genetic breeding and production of functional rice.

In the present paper, the contents of 18 mineral elements in milled and brown rice of 55 accessions elite cultivars as well as corresponding soils were determined by ICP-AES technique. The method proves to be simple, rapid, highly sensitive and accurate, and can be used to determine many elements at the same time, its recovery ratio obtained by standard addition method ranged between 93.1% and 110.2%, and its RSD was from 0.8% to 5.1%. The analytical results showed that 18 mineral elements (S, Mo, Ba, Ni, Fe, Cr, Na, Al, Cu, P, Sn, Zn, B, Mn, Mg, Ca, Sr and K) are the important active compositions of functional rice, and their mean contents in milled rice are in the order of P>K>S>Mg>Ca>Zn>Na>Al>Mn>Fe>Cu>B >Mo>Ni>Sn>Cr>Ba>Sr, in brown rice in the order of P>K>Mg>S>Ca>Zn>Mn>Al>Na>Fe>Cu>B>Mo>Sn> Ni>Cr>Ba>Sr, but in soil in the order of Fe>Al>Ca>K>Mg>P>S>Mn>B>Na>Ba>Zn>Cr>Cu>Ni>Sn>Mo> Sr; 16 mineral elements in milled and brown rice (except for S and P) are clearly lower than that in soils. The correlation of 8 microelements (Mo, Ni, Cr, Sr, Mn, Zn, Cu and Na) in milled and brown rice is closer than that of 6 macroelements (P, K, Mg, Ca, S and Al). There are rich Fe, Al and Ca in Yunnan soils, but 4 elements (P, K, Mg and S) are in high priority in milled and brown rice; The milled rice used for the staple is easier to place a premium on chronics than brown rice. The above results provided reliable data and theory bases for genetic breeding and production of functional rice, and for further solving the chronics and the malnourished problems with insufficient Fe, Zn and Ca for 4 billion people in the world.

In the present paper, the contents of 17 mineral elements (S, Mo, Ni, Fe, Cr, Na, Al, Cu, P, Sn, Zn, B, Mn, Mg, Ca, Sr and K) in brown rice of 264 plant lines in near-isogenic lines (NILs) population and parents for Japonica rice were determined by ICP-AES technique. The method proved to be simple, rapid, highly sensitive and accurate, and can be used to determine many elements at the same time. Its recovery ratio obtained by standard addition method ranged between 92.3% and 110.27%, and its RSD was lower than 6%. The analytical results showed that NILs for various mineral elements based on the BC5F5 population consisting of 261 lines were developed from a cross between NIL (BC4F5) and Towada. To our knowledge, this is the first report on that near-isogenic lines NIL(BC4F5) with the important value for high mineral elements associated with cold tolerance at booting stage have been bred. The results of the determination show that the brown rice is rich in eleven elements such as P, K, Mg, S, Ca, Zn, Mn, Na, Fe, Cu and Al necessary to human health. There is smaller variation of 5 macroelements (11.15%-16.45%) but larger variation of 12 microelements (16.57%-94.96%) in brown rice from populations. There is significant correlation among 95 from 136 pairs in 17 elements, moreover, especially the correlation (0.531**-0.921**) among 15 pairs of six micro-elements (Mo, Ni, Al, Sn, Cr and Sr) associated with the active components of functional rice is relatively higher than that of 10 pairs (0.175**-0.867**) of 5 macroelements (P, K, Ca, Mg and S), revealing the importance of microelements to catalysing and synthesizing the active components of functional rice. The above results provided reliable data and theory bases for gene location and cloning of controlling elements contents in brown rice, and further revealed the molecular and physiological mechanism of the relation between mineral elements in brown rice and cold tolerance at booting stage in japonica rice from Yunnan Province of China.

Arecanut is a sort of palm that is important economic crop for the farmers in Hainan province of China, wherein there are many kinds of metal elements such as K, Ca, Na, Mg, Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn etc. These elements are important nutrition for the growth of arecanut. It is very valuable to study on the content of these metal elements in arecanut leaf in terms of plant nutriology of arecanut. The arecanut leaf in Wangling county, Hainan province of China was sampled by diagonal-field-sampling method. Refering to other plant sample determination by FAAS, the detailed studies are done with different digestion and determination methods. In the present paper the effects of mixed acid of HNO3-HClO4 digestion method on determining the amount of metal elements in the arecanut leaf by FAAS is reported, and another one is incineration digestion method. FAAS method was established for the determination of K, Ca, Mg, Na, Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn The samples were incinerated or heated with HNO3-HClO4 (4:1). In the meantime, the optimum parameters of FAAS and effects of different digestion methods on the results were discussed. The recovery rate of standard addition is 98.36%-102.38% in the first method; RSD is 0.42%-2.328% (n=6); The recovery rate of standard addition is 99.22%-103.72% in the second method; RSD is 0.58%-1.283 (n=6). The metal amount determined by the first method is lower than the second method, the ratio is 0.9703-0.9934. The two methods are satisfied, but the latter is better. It is precise enough to common experiment to use flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry with digestion by incineration If the especially precise experiment is required, the digestion methods with mixed acid of HNO3-HClO4 may be introduced. The paper introduced methods dependable for determination of some metal elements in order to study on some nutrient effects of these metal elements in arecanut.

In the present paper, a method of simultaneous determination of trace elements in grapefruit was developed by using inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry together with HNO3-HClO4 digestion. The contents of fifteen elements, including B, Ba, Ca, Cu, Zn, Mg, Sr, Mn, Fe, Na, Be, Pb, Bi, Cd and As, were determined in four parts, namely flesh, scarfskin, endodermis and seed collected from Guangdong, Guangxi and Ganzhou, respectively. The relative standard deviations for all these elements in this method were between 0.22% and 5.54%, and the recovery rates were between 87.0% and 115.0%. The measuring method was proved to be simple, rapid, reliable, and highly sensitive. In addition, the determination of these fifteen elements can be carried out at the same time, which can meet the requests of actual sample analysis. The experimental results showed that some beneficial elements to human such as Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu and Na in grapefruit were abundant, while some comparatively harmful elements (Be, Pb, Bi, Cd and As) were not detected. Regional differences and partial differences obviously existed in the concentrations of one or more trace elements in grapefruit. As a whole, the concentrations of most elements in flesh were much lower than in other parts of grapefruit. The concentrations of B, Ba, Ca, Sr and Mn were comparatively higher in the seed capsule than in other parts. Cu, Zn and Mg had the highest concentrations in seed compared to other parts. There was little difference between scarfskin and endodermis. And as for the regional differences, the contents of Mn, Zn and Na in Gannan pomelo in all its parts were higher than those in other regions, and the contents of Ba in Guangdong pomelo in all its parts were higher than those in others, while Guangxi pomelo had the highest Fe content. These differences might resulted from the natural environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity, soil types with different pH, the mineral composition or concentration, and so on. Application of fertilizer and prunning might be an important man-made factors which could also result in the differences. The determination of these elements by using ICP-AES has important point for exploiting grapefruit fully in future.

Traditional Chinese medicine materials (TCM) contained abundant trace elements needed in human body. Mixed acid (HNO3:HClO4) was added into samples treated by microwave digestion, and a systematic study was carried out by selection of the most appropriate working conditions and optimization of the sample mass. Some inorganic elements in 5 kinds of radix curcumae (Curcuma wenyujin Y. H. Chen et C. Ling, Curcuma longa L., Curcuma kwangsiensis S. G. Lee et C. F. Liang, Curcuma phaeocaulis Val. and Curcuma chuanyujin C. K Hsieh et H. Zhang) necessary to lives were determined by flames atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS). Elements, such as K, Ca, Na, Mg, Zn, Fe, Cu and Mn were detected. The results show that there are similar elements in the five kinds of radix curcumae, while differences only exist in a few elements contents. The correlative analysis of trace elements in samples was carried out by cluster analysis of the 4 kinds of radix curcumae (Curcuma wenyujin Y. H. Chen et C. Ling, Curcuma longa L., Curcuma kwangsiensis S. G. Lee et C. F. Liang and Curcuma phaeocaulis Val. ) in codex populations in a cluster, different from the unofficial sample (Curcuma chuanyujin C. K. Hsieh et H. Zhang). The cluster analysis results are consistent with the morphological characteristics of the traditional taxonomy results. The results showed that the analytic method is advisable. This paper provides scientific basis for deeply studing the relation between trace elements and drug effect of radix curcumae.

In the present paper, samples were digested by high pressure digestion pots, reducing the loss of trace elements during the digestion process. The contents of trace elements in edible fungi such as Ca, Na, K, Mg, Mn, Ba, Fe, Co, Ge and Cu were determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry. The relative standard deviation with high pressure digestion pots was 0.160-2.860, and that with wet method was 0.33%-3.49%, so it could be seen that the measurement precisions of the two methods were good, and the former was better. The measurement results with the two methods were checked by t-test, and the values in the range of 0.002 4-2.473 were lower than t(0.99, 9) (3.25). The measurement results showed that the two methods had no obvious differences, namely no system errors occurred. The recovery rates with high pressure digestion pots were in the range of 96.6% -103%. The method of high pressure digestion pots was suitable for the determination of trace elements in edible fungi with the advantages of being simple, rapid, sensitive, stable and accurate etc., and the results were satisfactory.

Microwave digestion technique was used in the decomposition of radix Paeoniae alba samples of different growing area, different growing time and before and after processing, and the contents of K, Ca, Na, Mg, Zn and Fe were determined by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). The results of the determination show that radix Paeoniae alba samples are rich in the trace elements. The RSDs of these elements were lower than 4%, and the recovery ratio ranged between 99% and 113%. The results revealed that the analytic method is sensitive and precise. The pattern recognition based on the principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to the measured trace elements of different radix Paeoniae alba samples. The PCA was useful in the classification of radix Paeoniae alba. This paper provides scientific basis for deeply studying the relation between the trace elements and the drug effect of radix Paeoniae alba.

Cystine was indirectly determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry with ZnS. Base on the determination mechanism, the composition of complex, the complex balance reaction of soluble zinc ion, which formed in the determination of cystine by FAAS, and the stability constant of complex balance were discussed in the present paper. Under the alkalescent conditions, cystine (Cys-Cys) can react with zinc sulfide suspension solution to form a soluble complex or chelate of zinc cystine. The maximum concentration was reached at pH 9.4 and the quantity of the chelate was determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry with zinc sulfide. The stability constants of the complex compound of zinc cystine were studied successfully, after the numeric measurements and theoretical investigations under the best-optimized acidity for determination. In conclusion, at the best optimized acidity pH 9.4, the stability constant of alkalescent zinc cystine is between 9. 542 x 10(32) and 10.353 x 10(32), the average value is betaw = 9.916 x 10(32), and log betaw = 32.996. The standard deviation is 0.301 x 10(32). It is shown that the atomic absorption spectrometry can be used not only for the determination of trace elements and the indirect determination of organic compound, but also for the study of physical configuration and the determination of physical constant of complex ion.

In the present paper, orthogonal design test was planed by changing cinefaction temperature, cinefaction time, and the concentration of hydrochloric acid. Yak milk powder and milk powder were digested by dry method. The contents of elements Ca, Mg, Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn, K and Na were determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The best conditions for the digestion were obtained as follows: the temperature was 510 degrees C, cinefaction time 4 hours, and hydrochloric acid concentration 1 : 5. Meanwhile, under the best experimental conditions, the recovery ratio of the method in the range of 95.2%-107.3%, and the relative standard deviations were 0.38%-3.86% (n=6). The experimental results proved that Yak milk powder is valuable and nutritious food, and has rich nutrition elements.

Nanfeng orange is a world famous fruits, but its quality changes remarkably with the producing area. The present paper studied the contents of heavy metal mineral elements and microelements in soil planting Nanfeng orange by ICP-MS/ICP-AES and in order to find the dominant factors that affect the quality of Nanfeng orange in soil. The results showed that the contents of B, P, K, Mg and Ca, especially B, P and K were much higher in soil where the quality of Nanfeng orange is palatable than those where Nanfeng orange is unpalatable; but the contents of Fe, Mn, Si, Cu and Zn were lower in soil where the quality of Nanfeng orange is palatable than those where Nanfeng orange is unpalatable. These data indicate that B, P, K, Mg and Ca, especially B, P and K, affect the quality of Nanfeng orange significantly.

The sand storm has become a global environmental problem. Since desert woody plants have many special biological characteristics, they play an important role in improving ecological environment and so on. In the present paper, the contents of ordinary and trace metal elements in whole Tetraena Mongolia Maxim, which only exists in West Erdos Region of Inner Mongolia in the world and is protected and endangered national second-class species, were determined by ICP-AES technique and compared with other desert woody plants. The results indicated that the ordinary elements Ca, K, Mg, Na and Al and the trace elements essential to plant vital activities, such as Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn show different content orders in different parts of the plant. For example, the content orders are Ca>Na>Mg>Al>K>Fe>Cu>Mn>Zn for both main root and old root. In twig and leaf, however, the order is Ca>Na>Mg>Al>K>Fe>Mn>Cu>Zn, while in fibrous root the order is K>Ca>Na>Mg>Al>Fe>Cu>Mn>Zn. The element contents of Mn and Zn are lower than the average content of terrestrial plants. The recovery ratio obtained by standard addition method ranged between 94.98% and 120.0%, and its RSD was lower than 3. 5% with a good precision. The results provide theoretical directions for protecting and exploiting vegetable resource of the endangered and wilding plant.

In the present paper, the use of 8-hydroxyquinoline(oxine, HQ) complexs in precipitate flotation to separate and preconcentrate Cu and Mn, using SDBS as collector, followed by AAS spectrophotometric determination is proposed. The optimum conditions of precipitate flotation were studied. The effects of several parameters of flotation processes condition on single metal ions precipitation-flotation and multi-metal ions coprecipitation-flotation of Cu and Mn at pH 9 were investigated. The experimental results show that the flotation rate of Cu is supreme with pH 9. Under the condition of pH 9 and changing the ratio of concentration, when Mn/Cu> or =8, the recovery rate of Cu is less than 90%. This method is simple, rapid, accurate, sensitive and precise and avoids using the virulent organic solvent. The linear range of Cu is 0.5-5.0 microg x mL(-1) with the correlative coefficient of 0.9996, detection limit of this method was found to be 1.59 x 10(-3) microg x mL(-1), the linear range of Mn is 0.5-5.0 microg x mL(-1) with the correlative coefficient of 0.9987, and the detection limit of this method was found to be 3.52 x 10(-3) microg x mL(-1). The method was applied to the determination of Cu and Mn in foodstuff, and the recovery is 87.6%-100.7%. The result was satisfactory.

In the present paper, a new method for indirect determination of Vc by atomic absorption spectrometry is proposed, based on the reducing properties of Ag+. The effects of temperature, reaction time and use level of Ag+ on the experiment were studied. Room-temperature and reaction time of 35 minutes were chosen. The oxidant amount is 2.0 mL solution of Ag+ (1.0 microg mL(-1)). Meanwhile the AAS working conditions for Ag determination were optimized. The proposed method allows the determination of Vc in a wide range with a relative standard deviation of 2.04%, and the detection limit is less than 1 microg x mL(-1). The method cannot be disturbed by the colour of sample. The interference of coexistent substance is also weak. Other methods for determining Vc could be remedied by this method. Two kinds of standard curves were plotted, standard working curve of sliver and standard working curve of Vc. The former is easier, while the latter is more accurate and could be applied flexibly according to the physical circumstances. This method is easy to control and has been applied to the determination of ascorbic acid in pharmaceutical preparations and orange juice. The recovery ratio of this method is 99.30%-106.06%. The results obtained in the analysis agreed well with the iodimetry in pharmacopeia.

An AAS method for the determination of trace amount of Pb, Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn in food was established, and the uncertainty of the analytical results was assessed in the present paper. Microwave-assisted digestion technique was used to prevent the elements from volatile losses and to reduce the blank. Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn were determined by flame AAS, and Pb and Cd were determined by using graphite furnace AAS. A National Standard Material GBW 07602 (GSV-1) was analyzed and the results were in accordance with the certificate values, verifying the accuracy and the precision of the proposed method. The uncertainty of the analytical results was assessed on the basis of the requirements of the ISO documents. Uncertainty sources from all procedures were evaluated.

Twelve kinds of fish tissues were wetly decomposed and the harmful elements of Cd, As, Pb and Hg were determined by ICP-AES method in the present paper. The techniques for operating ICP instrument were optimized, spectral interference for elements in special wavelength range was studied, and the correction factor of IECs model was established. The results indicated that the signal to noise ratio and detection limit for elements with higher ionization potential energy may be improved by increasing the radio generator power properly and reducing the nebulizer pressure. There were Cr, Cu, As, Sn and Na elements that mainly disturbed the determined elements such as As (189.042 nm), Pb (220.353 nm), Cd (228.802 nm) and Hg (184.950 nm). The primary contaminating elements in tissues of freshwater fish and seawater fish were Pb and As respectively.

In the present paper the effects of different digestion methods on determining the amount of metal elements in the plant platycodon grandi florum (Jacq.) A. DC. by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry(FAAS) are reported. FAAS method was established for the determination of K, Mg, Ca, Cu, Zn, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cd and Cr and Pb in the plant platycodon grandi florum (Jacq.) A. DC. The samples were incinerated and followed by digestion with HNO3-HClO (phi, 4 : 1) at 90-95 degrees C and normal pressure. In the meantime, the optimum parameters of FAAS and effects of solution medium on the results were discussed. The analytical results of K, Mg, Ca, Mn, Fe, Cu and Zn were 13 226.32, 922.57, 1 710.72, 9.23, 336.66, 8.75 and 19.62 microg x g(-1) respectively, while Co, Ni, Cd, Cr and Pb were not checked out in the samples. The results showed that the recovery of standard addition was 95.45Y-105.50% and the relative standard deviation (n = 9) was 0.34%-5.78%. The method is quick, simple and convenient, and the results are satisfactory.

The objective of the present paper was to determine the amount of metal elements in the rape pollen from different regions by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry (FAAS). FAAS method was established for the determination of K, Na, Ca, Mg, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Mn, Cd, Cr and Pb in the rape pollen. The samples were incinerated and then digested with HNO3-HClO4 (V : V = 4 : 1) at 90-95 degrees C and under normal pressure. In the meantime, the optimum parameters of FAAS and the effects of solution medium on the results were studied. The analytical results of K, Na, Ca, Mg, Fe, Cu, Zn and Mn rape pollen from different habitats respectively were 4 248.00, 75.77, 312.10, 856.61, 599.53, 8.78, 27.82, 22.54 microg x g(-1) and 7 585.75, 242.56, 287.88, 699.43, 1 020.65, 10.25, 40.44, 30.97 microg x g(-1), while Co, Ni, Cd, Cr and Pb were not checked out in the samples. The results showed that the recovery of standard addition was 95.22%-105.49%, and the RSD(n = 9) was 0.30%-5.00%. The characteristic method is quick, simple and convenient, and the results are satisfactory.

In this paper, a method of microwave digestion technique for the contents determination of trace elements Ni, Zn, Mn, Cu, Mg, Fe, Ca and Pb in radix ophiopogonis by hydride generation inductively coupled plasma atomic emition spectrometry (HG-ICP-AES) was reported. Its recovery ratio obtained by standard addition method ranged between 97.8% and 102.5%, and its RSD was lower than 4.0%. The results of the determination show that radix ophiopogonis is rich in the inorganic elements such as Fe, and the content of Zn in radix ophiopogonis of Zhejiang is much higher in radix ophiopogonis of Sichun. The result will provide scientific data for the study on the elements in radix ophiopogonis and on their relativity of medicine efficacy.

In the present paper, a method for the determination of trace elements such as Hg and As in biological samples by HG-ICP-AES was presented. Under the optimum experimental conditions and instrumental operation parameters, both the RSDs of Hg and As with the method were below 3%, and the detection limits were 0.6 ng Hg x mL(-1) and 0.8 ng As x mL(-1), respectively, satisfying the demand of detecting trace Hg and As concentration in biological samples. Meanwhile, the analytical results of Hg and As in the national standard reference samples such as human hair (GBW 09101), rice (GBW 08503) and tea leaf (GBW 08505) were in good agreement with the certified values, with RSDs around 5%. Using the HG-ICP-AES method, the concentrations of Hg and As in human hair samples of polymetallic mining area in western Hunan province were determined, and the result shows that human in the mining area was exposed to high levels of Hg and As. The concentrations of Hg and As in the mining area were 1.290 and 1.865 microg x g(-1) respectively, 3.59 and 2.44 times higher than those in the control area, respectively.

In the environment and living organisms, limited concentrations and complexity of selenium compounds constitute challenges to the analytical techniques. Since their biological activities are dependent on their chemical states and structure, the key issue lies in the selective determination of the particular species of selenium, which is beneficial to clearly understanding its biochemical roles in metabolism, physiology, toxicology, nutrition, and clinical chemistry. For these purposes, the advanced analytical techniques are greatly indispensable. In the present paper, the current status and development trends in the speciation analysis of selenium by hyphenated techniques is selectively reviewed with the emphasis on the coupling of electrophoretic or chromatographic separation with atomic spectroscopy and mass spectrometry, which render element-selective detection and identification of selenium compounds.

In the present paper, a method was developed for the determination of Cd and Pb by ICP-AES. The effects of two different sample treatment methods, including wet digestion method and dry ash method, were compared. The contents of Cd and Pb in Danshen (Radix Salviae miltiorrhizae) grown in some areas of Shandong were determined. The results show that it is satisfactory to apply ICP-AES to the determination of Cd and Pb with the detection limits (DL) of 1.92 ng x mL(-1) and 1.07 ng x mL(-1), the precision values (RSD) of 3.14% and 1.83%, and the recovery rates of 103.0% and 96.2% respectively. The wet digestion method is better than the dry ash method for its lower RSD and higher recovery rate. The dry ash method is suitable for the determination of Pb, but not suitable for the determination of Cd due to its low recovery rate. The results also show that the contents of Cd and Pb in Danshen are lower than the standard of Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2005), which meets the standard of GAP production.

In the present paper, orthogonal test and square error analysis were applied to the determination of inorganic elements in the aerial part of E. bodinieri V. such as K, Na, Ca, Ba, Pb, Zn, Mn, Cu, Mg, Fe and Al by microwave digestion ICP-AES technique. The method is simple, rapid, and features of high sensitivity, good accuracy and simultaneous determination of many elements. Its recovery ratio obtained by standard addition method ranged from 93.2% to 104.1%, and its RSD (n=5) was lower than 3.20%. The results showed that this plant has rich inorganic elements, which are essential to human health. The result provides a theoretical basis for investigating the correlation of element content and the effect of medicine in E. bodinieri V.

The objective of the paper is to determine the amount of metal elements of Na, K, Mg, Ca, Cu, Zn, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cd, Cr and Pb in the planted Foeniculum vulgare Mill. by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry (FAAS), after the cinefaction and the digestion with HNO3-HClO4 (phi 4:1) at 90-95 degrees C and normal pressure. The optimum parameters of FAAS and the effects of solution medium on the results were investigated. The analytical results show that the amount of Na, K, Mg, Ca, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn and Pb was 1508.7, 27653.0, 2036.0, 4848.1, 24.8, 323.5, 15.2, 23.7 and 10.8 microg x g(-1), respectively, and that of Co, Ni, Cd and Cr was not checked out in the samples. The recovery of standard addition is 97.45%-102.50%, the relative standard deviation (n=9) was 0.34%-2.77%. The characteristic method is quick, simple and convenient and the results are satisfactory.

Using yttrium phosphate as the coprecipitation collector for the separation and preconcentration of trace lead and iron in nickel chloride and manganese sulfate, flame atomic absorption spectrometric (FAAS) determination was described in the present paper. Coprecipitation parameters including the pH of the solution, and the amounts of YCl3 and H3 PO4 were discussed. It was found that lead and iron in nickel chloride could be coprecipitated quantitatively in the range of pH 3.0-4.0, and so could be lead in manganese sulfate. The detection limits (3sigma) of lead and iron in 20 mL solution were 1.63 x 10(-2) mg x L(-1) and 4.58 x 10(-2) mg x L(-1) respectively. In NiCl2 solution the standard addition recoveries for lead and iron were 100.91% and 99.73% respectively, and in MnSO4 solution the standard addition recoveries were 99.45% and 98.98% respectively. The method has eliminated the interference of matrix, and the result is satisfied.

The determination of elements in Euonymus alatus by ICP-AES was carried out in the present paper. The Euonymus alatus samples were digested by microwave digestion technique. The optimized conditions of microwave digestion procedure obtained by orthogonal array design were as follows: the volume ratio of HNO3-HCl is 2 : 1; the ratio of liquid/solid is 100 : 1; the sample particle size is 100-140 mesh. ICP-AES method was applied to the determination of ten trace elements in the sample, and was compared with AAS. The results showed that the method was rapid and simple with the relative standard deviations between 0.5%-6.2%, and the recovery between 85.5% and 105.6%.

The objective in this paper was to determine the amount of metal elements in the Plant Bupleurum scorzoneri folium Willd. by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry (FAAS). FAAS method was established for the determination of Ca, Mg, Fe, Cu, Zn and Pb in the Plant Bupleurum scorzoneri folium Willd. after digestion with HNO3-HClO4 (V : V= 4 : 1) at 90-95 degrees C and at normal pressure. In the meantime, the optimum parameters of FAAS and the effects of solution medium on the results were studied. The analytical results of Ca, Mg, Fe, Cu and Zn were 5,588.9, 1,790.5, 869.3, 78.4, 44.3 microg x g(-1) respectively, and Pb was not checked out in the samples. The results showed that the recovery of standard addition was 99.57%-102.10%, the relative standard deviation (n= 9) was 0.18%-2.26%. The method is quick, simple and convenient, and the results are satisfactory.

The flow injection on-line preconcentration with a knotted reactor (KR) system for the determination of copper and cadmium in water by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) was described in the present paper. The precipitation preconcentration of trace copper and cadmium was achieved by on-line merging of the sample and ammonia solutions. The resultant precipitates were on-line collected by a knotted reactor (KR) without filtration, and then the authors used a process of air segmentation. A solution of 1 mol x L(-1) HNO3 was employed to dissolve the collected precipitates and to deliver the analyte into the FAAS system for on-line detection. With a sample loading flow rate of 4.4 mL x min(-1) and a preconcentration time of 90 s, the enhancement factor was 34 (for Cu) and 36 (for Cd) as compared with the conventional FAAS method. The detection limits (3sigma) are found to be 1.9 and 0.3 microg x L(-1) for copper and cadmium respectively. The precision (RSD, n = 11) was found to be 2.3% at the level of 30.0 microg x L(-1) of Cu (II), and 2.6% at the level of 20.0 microg x L(-1) of Cd (II). The proposed method has been successfully applied to the determination of Cu (II) and Cd (II) in water samples.

In the present paper, the contents of metal elements from six kinds of desert plants, namely Haloxylon ammodendron, Caragana microphylla, Ammopiptanthus mongolicus, Salix bordensis, Elaeagnus angusti folia, and Salix psammophila in Inner Mongolian were determined by ICP-AES technique. The recovery ratio obtained by standard addition method ranged between 94.98% and 120.25%, and the RSD was lower than 3.4%. The results of determination showed that the major elements Ca, K, Mg, Na and Al, and trace elements essential to plant vital activities such as Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn exhibit different orders in content in the six kinds of desert plants, and the contents of four elements, Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn are lower than the average content of terrestrial plants. The above results provided reliable data and theory bases for improving environment in west China and choosing weather-resistant and sand-fixation tree species.

In the present paper, microwave digestion technique was used to determine Ca, Zn, Cu, Mg and Fe in rat liver by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). The effect of microwave digestion condition on the analysis results was examined and the best analysis condition of FAAS was selected. Compared to traditional wet methods, the experimental result showed that the method is rapid, sample digestion is complete, the blank value is low, and the measurement result is satisfactory. Applied to the determination of trace elements in rat liver, the method proved to be selective with satisfactory recovery of 96%-103% andrelative standard deviation of 1.0%-2.6%.

In this paper a rapid and simple method using pyrolysis coupled with atomic absorption spectrometry for the analysis of total mercury in Chinese medicinal material and biological samples is presented. No sample digestion was needed and this greatly simplifies the analytical procedure and minimizes potential sources of contamination. Under optimum conditions, the reproducibility of the method was 2.1% for peak area and 9.1% for peak height. The detection limit (3sigma) was 6.3 ng x g(-1), and the recovery was within the range of 95%-105%. Several standard reference materials were analyzed and the results were obtained with satisfaction. The performance of the method was compared with inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), and excellent agreements were observed between these two methods.

Lead and Cadium as the key elements influencing human genetic health were selectively determined in the present paper. In the area of metal elements determination in body fluid, most samples used in the study are blood, plasma and saliva. No literature about genetic fluid determination has been found so far. In the present paper the preparation of samples, volume of samples, and determination parameters were investigated. An easy reliable method of determining lead and cadium in semen and liquor follicle is established. The recoveries of lead are 99.0%-118% and the recoveries of cadium are 96.3%-109%. The determination limit of lead is 0.8 microg x L(-1) and the determination limit of cadium is 0.05 microg x L(-1). The relative standard deviations (RSD)(n = 5) are 3.74%-8.54%.

This paper describes the determination of trace La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Gd, Tb, Dy, Yb and Lu in the sample, using carbon powder, potassium sulfate, barium sulfate, strontium sulfate, and scandium chloride as buffer, by atomic emission spectrometry (AES). Scandium was selected as internal standard line. Sample separation and chemical treatment were not required. The sample was directly loaded into ordinary electrode. The method is simple, rapid and accurate. The determination requirement and influence factors were studied. A new method was developed for the determination of ten rare earth elements, for which the detection limit is smaller than 0.030%, and the range of the recovery is 94%-105%. The results of these elements in standard sample are in agreement with certified values, and the RSD is smaller than 5% (n = 9). The method has been applied to the determination of ten rare earth elements with satisfactory results.

A method for the determination of water-soluble antimony (III) and antimony (V) in Leigongteng using ultrasound-assisted extraction by hydride generation inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry was developed in the present paper. Affecting parameters of ultrasound extraction, the pH of antimony species, the operation condition of hydride generation and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry were investigated and optimized. The effect of coexisting ions on the determination of antimony was also investigated. The detection limits are 0.3 and 2.4 ng x mL(-1) for antimony (and antimony (V), respectively, and with RSD 3.9% for antimony (III) and 4.5% for antimony (V). The recovery is in the range of 93% to 105%.

A method of hydride generation-atomic fluorescence spectrometry was proposed in the present paper for the determination of trace arsenic and selenium in jellyfish. The samples were treated by the combination of microwave digestion and lyophilization. The optimal conditions for treating and analyzing samples were established. The problem of the effect of the superfluous acid in the digesting solution on the results was solved, and the influence of coexisting foreign ions on the determination of arsenic and selenium was investigated. The accuracy of the method was confirmed by the method of standard additions. This method proved to be simple, rapid and repeatable, and is suitable for the analysis of biologic samples containing water.

Eight kinds of microelements (Mn, Cu, Zn, Fe, Na, Co, Mg and K) in Dongjiang river sand were detected and analysed by flame atomic absorption spectrometry(FAAS). The method is simple and rapid with good precision and accuracy, and eliminates the interference effectively. The regression equation and the correlation coefficient were calculated. Correlation coefficients were 0.994-1.000. The samples were digested with HNO3-HF-H2O2. The results showed that Dongjiang river sand contained abundant microelements. The content order is Na>K>Fe>Mg>Mn>Zn>Co>Cu with Na being the highest and Cu the lowest. This paper provides useful evidence for studying the health care effect of Dongjiang river sand on human body.

A new method for the determination of trace beryllium in geological samples by oxygen-air-acetylene flame atomic absorption spectrometry is reported in the present paper. The optimum determination conditions were selected. When suitable amounts of 8-hydroxyquinoline are added, the interference effect from the coexisting elements can be minimized and the sensitivity for the determination of beryllium can be increased. The detection limit (k = 3) is 0.006 microg x mL(-1) for beryllium. The method has been applied to the determination of trace beryllium in geological standard samples, and the results are in good agreement with the certified values with a precision of 4.69% RSD( n = 8).

A method for the direct determination of trace lead in chestnut by Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (GFAAS) with slurry sampling was developed in the present paper. Ammonium ortho-phosphate was used as a matrix modifier. The effects of slurry preparation, particle size of sample, matrix modifier, ashing temperature, atomization temperature, and common coexisting components on the determination of lead were studied. Under the optimized operating conditions, the detection limit, the relative standard deviation (RSD), and the recoveries of standard addition for this method were 0.47 ng x mL(-1), 6.1% (n = 11) and 90%-106%, respectively.