Department of Soil Science, G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, Nainital, Uttar Pradesh
*Permanent address: Department of Chemistry, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada K7L 3N6
Atomic absorption spectroscopy is widely used in the determination of metals in soil extracts due to its simplicity, sensitivity and relative freedom from interferences. While soil chemists have paid considerable attention to the significance of various extraction procedures prior to analysis, relatively little attention has been given to the atomic absorption analytical step itself.
In this work, involving zinc in soil extracts, various problem areas in the analysis are investigated. Filtration, interferences and the calibration process may all lead to errors in the final result. Data are presented to illustrate these problems and appropriate recommendations are made.
Zn determination, atomic absorption spectroscopy, potential sources of error
