Doctoral Dissertations

Abstract

"The sampling boat and the graphite furnace have been shown to possess the required sensitivity to detect tellurium at ultra-trace levels, in a variety of sample types, by atomic absorption. In the sampling boat approach, tellurium in sample solutions is chemically separated and concentrated by extraction into methyl isobutyl ketone before measurement. For samples exhibiting extraction interferences or excessively high background absorption, a preliminary separation of tellurium by coprecipitation with selenium is described. Using this technique, tellurium can be quantitatively detected down to 5 nanograms and linear response is observed to 100 nanograms. Relative standard deviations of better than 7% are achieved for 50 nanograms of tellurium. For samples which have a tellurium content below the detection limits of the sampling boat, the graphite furnace is used for atomization. By this method, as little as 0. 07 nanograms of tellurium can be detected, and a precision of 1% relative standard deviation is achievable at the 5 nanogram level. A routinely applicable procedure was developed for determining tellurium in rocks, using the graphite furnace, after a hydrofluoric acid decomposition of the sample. Using this procedure, tellurium data were obtained on 20 different rocks, and the significance of this new information is discussed "--Abstract, page iii.

Advisor(s)

Manuel, O. (Oliver), 1936-

Committee Member(s)

Webb, William H.
Bristow, Douglas A.
Carroll, William R.
Sorrell, Charles A.

Department(s)

Chemistry

Degree Name

Ph. D. in Chemistry

Sponsor(s)

National Science Foundation (U.S.)
National Defense and Education Act Title IV Fellowship

Comments

This work was financed in part by NDEA Title IV Fellowship and a National Science Foundation Grant, NSF - GA-12099.

Publisher

University of Missouri--Rolla

Publication Date

1973

Journal article titles appearing in thesis/dissertation

  • Atomic absorption determination of nanogram quantities of tellurium using the sampling boat technique
  • Atomic absorption determination of sub-nanogram quantities of tellurium using the heated graphite atomizer
  • Tellurium in rocks

Pagination

viii, 61 pages

Note about bibliography

Includes bibliographical references.

Rights

© 1973 Richard Duane Beaty, All rights reserved.

Document Type

Dissertation - Open Access

File Type

text

Language

English

Subject Headings

TelluriumAtomic absorption spectroscopyFurnace atomic absorption spectroscopy

Thesis Number

T 2822

Print OCLC #

6027394

Electronic OCLC #

912512429

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Included in

Chemistry Commons

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