Sample preparation for voltammetry
Get rid of organic contamination of a sample using UV digestion, ensuring reliable determinations in voltammetry analyses.
Voltammetry, being highly specific, can deal with high salt loads. Organic contamination of a sample, however, can interfere with the VA trace analysis of heavy metals. The 909 UV Digester quickly and effectively breaks down organic molecules by UV photolysis, thereby enabling reliable determinations.
- Suitable for transparent samples with low to medium organic contamination
- Fully automatic simultaneous processing of up to 12 samples at a time for high sample throughput
- Low risk of sample contamination due to minute amounts of required reagents
- Method recommended by standards
- Controlled digestion temperature and time for accurate results
Effective sample preparation – recommended by standards
For transparent samples that contain low to medium organic contamination, i.e., carbon concentrations up to approximately 100 mg/L, UV digestion is the method of choice. Standards recommending sample preparation by UV photolysis include the following:
- DIN 38406, Part 16: Determination of zinc, cadmium, lead, copper, thallium, nickel, cobalt by voltammetry
- DIN 38406, Part 17: Determination of uranium – Method using adsorptive stripping voltammetry in surface water, raw water and drinking water
The 909 UV digester is equipped with PTFE stoppers that act as condensation fingers, preventing sample evaporation. This also means that the 909 UV Digester can be used for sample preparation when analysing samples containing mercury, arsenic, or selenium which are volatile at elevated temperatures or readily form volatile compounds.
Reliable and reproducible UV digestion
The 909 UV Digester handles your sample preparation fully automatically. Up to 12 samples, arranged concentrically around the UV lamp to achieve uniform irradiation, can be treated at a time.
After the user has entered the digestion temperature and time, the 909 UV Digester makes sure that these are maintained.
Automatic and controlled UV digestion ensures reliable and reproducible results. It helps to save time and costs as the digestion process needs less monitoring and user interaction.
How does UV digestion work?
After a small amount of H2O2 has been added to the sample as radical initiator, the sample is irradiated with UV light with wavelengths of 200 to 400 nm, producing OH radicals that spontaneously react with the organic molecules. In the resulting radical chain reaction, all the organic molecules are broken down to low-molecular-weight compounds such as CO2, H2O, N2, or NH3, which do not interfere with VA analysis.
Talk to your Metrohm representative and learn about the best solution for your needs!