Determination of Arsenic and Bismuth in Biological Materials by Total Reflection X-ray Fluorescence After Separation and Collection of Their Hydrides

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Abstract
A combined procedure was developed for the determination of As and Bi in biological materials by total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF). The materials were first digested by an open wet decomposition method. The separation of both elements from the sample matrix was then achieved by generation of their volatile hydrides and subsequent trapping in a collection solution. The quantitative determination of As and Bi was performed simultaneously by TXRF using Y as internal standard. The procedure was applied to several different biological certified reference materials. The recovery rate determined for mass fractions between 40 ng g–1 and 10 µg g–1 was 90–100% after correction with aqueous standard solutions. The RSD for the whole procedure ranged from 8 to 14% and the detection limits were about 10 ng g–1 for As and 20 ng g–1 for Bi.