Pressure-assisted chelating extraction as a teaching tool in instrumental analysis

A novel instrumental-digestion technique using pressure-assisted chelating extraction (PACE) was adopted for an undergraduate laboratory at SUNY-Binghamton. The students were introduced to the basic concepts followed by sample extraction using a Dionex ASE 200. Extracts were analyzed using flame atomic absorption spectroscopy (FAAS). Results were correlated with conventional wet acid-digestion techniques using standard reference materials. Better recoveries with a higher precision were obtained using PACE, indicating the possibility of obtaining accurate and precise results from the analysis of heavy metals in solid samples safely without the use of concentrated acids and strong oxidizing agents.