DETERMINATION OF GOLD IN ORES BY FLAME AND GRAPHITE-FURNACE ATOMIC-ABSORPTION SPECTROMETRY USING A VANADIUM CHEMICAL MODIFIER

The determination of gold in ores by both flame and graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry at different analytical wavelengths are compared. Vanadyl chloride was shown to be effective as a chemical modifier for determining gold in the presence of heavy metals. A sensitivity of 1-mu-g l-1 and a detection limit of 1-mu-g l-1 (or 0.1-mu-g g-1 in the original sample) were obtained. The best linear range was between 1 and 120-mu-g l-1 and a characteristic mass of 1 pg was obtained.