Cold vapour atomic absorption spectrometry CV-AAS

Maintaining the quality of food is a far more complex problem than the quality assurance of non-food products. Analytical methods are an indispensable monitoring tool for controlling levels of substances essential for health and also of toxic substances, including heavy metals. The usual techniques for detecting elements in food are flame atomic absorption spectroscopy (FAAS), graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GF AAS), hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry (HG AAS), cold vapour atomic absorption spectrometry (CV AAS), inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP AES), inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP MS) and neutron activation analysis (NAA). 

Cold Vapour Atomic Absorption Spectrometry CV AAS is the best and most sensitive method for determining very low levels of mercury it makes use of the fact that atoms of this element can exist in gaseous form at room temperature. 

Cold vapour atomic absorption spectrometry (CV-AAS) or atomic fluorescence spectrometry (CV-AFS) for the determination of Hg. 

The most common technique for the determination of mercury in environmental samples is cold vapour atomic absorption spectrometry (CV-AAS) due to its simplicity and sensitivity. The flameless procedure was investigated by Hatch and Ott (1968) with a view to simplifying the apparatus required and improving the sensitivity of the method. The method is based on the unique properties of mercury. Elemental mercury has an appreciable vapour pressure at ambient temperature and the vapour is stable and monatomic. Mercury can easily be reduced to metal from its compounds. The mercury vapour may be introduced into a stream of an inert gas and measured by atomic absorption or atomic fluorescence of the cold vapour without the need of atomiser devices. 

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