Dedeepya Sudunagunta et al.

/ Journal of Pharmacy Research 2012,5(3),1614-1619

Review Article Available online through
ISSN: 0974-6943 http://jprsolutions.info
Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy :A special emphasis on pharmaceutical and other applications
Dedeepya Sudunagunta*, Nagasamy Venkatesh. D, Meyyanathan S.N.
Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis,JSS College of Pharmacy
(A Constituent College of JSS University, Mysore),Rocklands, Ooty – 643 001. Tamil Nadu,India.
Received on:16-01-2012; Revised on: 22-02-2012; Accepted on:26-03-2012

ABSTRACT
Atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) has emerged as a powerful analytical technique in estimating various atoms by the measurement of light energy of
specific wavelength. This employs usually three different analytical techniques such as atomic emission, atomic absorption and atomic fluorescence. The
AAS can measure even trace concentrations of various elements with higher degree of sensitivity and precision. Therefore, AAS possesses considerable
position in the modern analytical laboratories. The present review highlights the various components of atomic absorption spectrophotometer, different
types of AAS and applications of atomic absorption spectroscopy in various fields such as pharmaceuticals, food, biological, geological, metallurgical,
environmental, forensic and marine applications.

Key words: Atomic absorption spectroscopy, flame atomic absorption spectroscopy, flameless method of atomic absorption, applications.

INTRODUCTION
Atomic absorption spectroscopy measures the absorption of specific wave-
length of radiation by neutral atoms which are present in the ground state and
gets excited. The chemical compounds are dissociated into free atoms re-
quired for the atomic absorption measurement are produced by supplying
enough thermal energy. Hollow cathode lamp helps in the generation of
specific wavelength of radiation. The solution of the sample aspirated into
the flame aligned in the light beam serves the purpose of atomic absorption
spectroscopy[1].
Types of atomic absorption spectroscopy
Atomic absorption spectroscopy shall be broadly classified as flame and
flameless methods.
a) Flame atomic absorption spectroscopy (FAAS)
In this method, the basic principle is the measurement of the absorption of
the monochromatic light by the atomic cloud i.e., neutral atoms of the analyte.
The method of flame AAS shows advantages like rapid, simple, easily avail-
able standard procedures for the determination of all metals, free from inter-
ferences and known interferences if any shall also be easily overcome and
highly sensitive[2].
b) Flameless method of atomic absorption
Flameless method increases the sensitivity for the low concentrations of the
analyte. Flameless technique includes;
Graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy (GF-AAS)
The passage of high electrical current through the graphite tube in which the
sample to be determined is placed provides the required energy for atomiza-
tion. This technique has more sensitivity and can be used for the determina-
tion of analytes with concentrations 1000 times lower than that which can be
detected by flame atomic absorption method. The advantage of GF-AAS
*Corresponding author.
Dedeepya Sudunagunta
Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis,
JSS College of Pharmacy
(A Constituent College of JSS University, Mysore),
Rocklands, Ooty – 643 001. Tamil Nadu,India.
over F-AAS is that F-AAS can analyze solutions only whereas GF-AAS can
analyze solutions, slurries and solid samples[3].
Hydride generation atomic absorption spectroscopy (HG-AAS)
By the addition of the sodium borohydride to the sample solution produces
the gaseous hydrides of the elements which are swept by an argon purge into
a heated quartz cell. As, Sb, Sn, Se, Bi, Te are the elements that are normally
analyzed by this technique.
Cold vapor mercury atomic absorption spectroscopy (CV-AAS)
In this method, stannous chloride is involved in the chemical reaction which
produces mercury atoms by chemical reduction. The volatile mercury atoms
are driven from the solution by bubbling air into the solution which is then
carried by the air into an absorption cell aligned in the optical path. This
method of mercury determination is the best available technique for the
determination of mercury with high sensitivity in the samples of a complex
nature.
Applications of Atomic absorption spectroscopy
AAS was found to have a wide range of applications in the various important
areas which include;
a.Pharmaceutical applications
As per United States Federal Food And Drug Administration (USFDA), the
pharmaceutical products/compounds need to be completely characterized.
The metals were found in all phases of the drug development process, from
drug synthesis to quality control (QC), metals are used in the synthesis of
drug substances, as an excipients in tablets, capsules, liquids and metal based
products are used as imaging agents and the equipment used in the manufac-
turing of drug substances or compounds can be a source for the trace metals.
Various atomic absorption based techniques like AAS are often used to help
for fully characterization of the pharmaceutical products[4]. Atomic spec-
trometry enables the determination of drugs with higher sensitivity and accu-
racy. The method is free from interference by excipients present in the drug
formulations[5].
A wide variety of metals and metalloids are used in the manufacture of
pharmaceuticals and some are also used as the active pharmaceutical ingredi-

Journal of Pharmacy Research Vol.5 Issue 3.March 2012 1614-1619

 Dedeepya Sudunagunta et al. / Journal of Pharmacy Research 2012,5(3),1614-1619
Flame

Burner Monochromator Detector

Hollow cathode lamp

Sample solution
Read out device
Fig 1. Components of Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS)
ent (API) in drug products. Palladium, platinum are commonly used cata- The micro determination of pilocarpine alkaloid can be done by AAS which
lysts in the pharmaceutical industry. Because of the potential routes of entry depends on the measurement of mercuric content of pilocarpine complex [15].
for metals and metalloids into pharmaceutical products, the pharmaceutical For the determination of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) in certain
industry is interested in monitoring elements at all stages of the development dosage forms flame atomic absorption spectroscopy coupled with ion ex-
process. Element analysis using atomic spectroscopy covers not only the change technique is the adopted method [16].
API, but also cleaning validations and fingerprinting of drugs. A variety of
pharmaceuticals have been examined for many elements, such as lead (Pb), b.Food applications
Cadmium (Cd) in commercial pediatric syrups and magnesium (Mg) distri- The accumulation of heavy metals by the marine organisms is considered to
bution in tablets. AAS based techniques have also been used to provide be the most important form of pollution of the aquatic environment, the use
indirect determinations of pharmaceuticals such as ciprofloxacin, amoxicillin of tin for studying in canning is also toxic. Mercury, arsenic, cadmium and
and diclofenac sodium. Quantification of tin in an antihelminthic powder: lead can be tolerated at extremely low concentrations, they are toxic to
Organic tin compounds such as dibutyl-n-tindilaurate in antihelminthic powder humans. In canned tuna fish mercury and arsenic levels can be determined by
which is treated for worm infestations in animals. Determination of lithium hydride generation atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Cadmium, lead
in antidepressives by flame AAS, Palladium in synthetic drugs can be done levels can be determined by graphite tube atomic absorption spectropho-
by graphite tube or furnace AAS.The material used in the dental medicine is tometry, tin levels can be determined by FAAS [17].
analyzed for the determination of zirconium by AAS[6].
The determination of the geographical origin of various food products can be
HG-AAS can be used for the determination of arsenic in the commercial enabled by the inorganic elemental analysis by AAS and often combined with
samples of injectable drugs containing high concentrations of Sb (V) based on chemometrics [18]. The elemental analysis in fish and mussel samples can be
the principle of the complexion effect for Sb of citric, oxalic and acetic acids done by using flame AAS and GF-AAS [19]. AAS was helpful in the determi-
as reaction media after the predigestion of the sample [7]. The amount of nation of lead in wines [20].The toxic metals present in Shitake mushrooms
vanadate (V) bound to human serum albumin (HSA) in infusion solutions can (Lentinus edodes) can be estimated by using AAS after the microwave diges-
be determined using ET-AAS [8]. tion using oxidizing agents such as HNO3, H2SO4, H2O2[21].

The indirect AAS determination of active components in pharmaceutical
preparations can be achieved by continuous liquid liquid extractor coupled
on line to an atomic absorption spectrometer with substantially higher sen-
sitivity [9]. The low concentration of promazine can be determined indirectly
by the reaction of Reinecke salt with promazine which forms a reddish ion-
association compound [10]. Flouroquinolone antibacterials like gatifloxacin,
moxifloxacin and sparfloxacin can be estimated accurately by AAS by the
reaction of ammonium Reinecke to form stable precipitate of ion pair com-
plexes [11]. An indirect method based on the complexation of captopril with
an excess of Pb(II) ion was used for the determination of captopril in phar-
maceutical preparation by AAS. The produced complex can be aspirated on
the AAS after resoluting on the cationic exchange resin [12].
AAS can be used for the study of the presence of various proportions of
important metals along with the varied concentration of ion in the ayurvedic
preparations of the metallic ions [13].
Use of the coordination complexes of platinum (II) such as cis-dichlorodiamine
platinum as chemotherapeutic drug can induce toxic effects. The platinum
containing compounds can be monitored with rapid, sensitive and precise
method like graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy [14].
The trace elements and the toxic elements in the samples of apricots can be
determined by flame and graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry
after microwave assisted acid digestion [22]. Flame AAS is an analytical method
applied for the determination of calcium, potassium, magnesium, sodium,
copper, iron, zinc in the honey samples [23]. The method of GF-AAS is
helpful in the determination of the metals at very low levels in the samples of
tomato, pepper and in onion [24].
As infants are particularly sensitive to the toxic effects of lead, the lead
present in their main food i.e., milk (from human) need to be estimated for the
presence of lead. The lead present in the human milk can be estimated by
electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry [25]. Since As, Cu, Pb and
their compounds are toxic to the humans, these metals are need to be esti-
mated in a distilled spirit which is produced by the fermentation of sugar
cane. The determination can be done by GF-AAS [26].
c.Biological applications
AAS is a powerful, mature analytical tool with which meaningful measure-
ments can be done for a number of important elements in biological speci-
mens. Lead present in blood can be determined by GF-AAS [27]. Atomic

Journal of Pharmacy Research Vol.5 Issue 3.March 2012 1614-1619

 Dedeepya Sudunagunta et al. / Journal of Pharmacy Research 2012,5(3),1614-1619
absorption spectroscopy is faster, more sensitive and reliable method for the
determination of metallic elements in biological samples. Due to the interfer-
ence of the phosphate ion, the determination of calcium poses a problem
which can be overcome by the addition of strontium or lanthanum to the
sample solution prior to analysis [28].
The intake of mercury from the diet, amalgam restorations are the two main
sources for the mercury in the human beings. The most often used method
for the determination of mercury in blood, saliva and urine was the cold
vapor atomic absorption spectrometry [29].Cadmium, an environmental pol-
lutant which has been linked to hypertension, atherosclerosis and congenital
defects can be determined in whole blood and urine by Zeeman effect flameless
atomic absorption spectroscopy [30]. Flameless atomic absorption spectros-
copy is the method of choice for the determination of aluminium in uremic
serum [31]. The magnesium content of the blood serum can be accurately
determined by atomic absorption spectroscopy in the air acetylene flame on
the solutions prepared by direct dilution of the serum with EDTA (10,000
ppm) or strontium chloride (2500 ppm) [32], the interference due to phos-
phate can be overcome by the addition of an oxine [33].
In the nephritic syndrome, primary biliary cirrhosis, there is an increase in
the urinary excretion of copper. Flame AAS offers the advantage of greater
specificity and simplicity for the accurate determination of the low levels of
copper in urine [34]. Copper in erythrocytes can be estimated by flameless
AAS [35]. Copper plays a prominent role in the growth and development of
eukaryotic cells, with those cells exposed to an oxygen containing environ-
ment being particularly susceptible. Respiration, as well as the control of
transiently formed reactive byproducts of oxygen consuming processes is
highly dependent on the body’s copper content. To calculate the amount of
copper complex accompanying the sedimented liposomes, copper in the
mixture before and in the supernatant after ultra centrifugation can be deter-
mined by atomic absorption spectrometry [36].
Metal containing compounds (e.g., organomercurials or aluminium hydrox-
ide) are used as preservatives or adjuvants and are used in the process of
purification of the biological products. Flameless methods of AAS can be
used for the estimation of metals like aluminium, arsenic, barium, cadmium,
cobalt, chromium, mercury, lead, selenium, thallium and zinc in the biological
products [37]. Gallium can also be estimated in urine, serum and tissues by the
usage of flameless atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The interference
caused by calcium chloride (CaCl2) can be prevented completely by using the
chelating agent EDTA [38].
To determine the nutritional status and possible toxic levels of selenium,
study of selenium in biological samples like serum, plasma, whole blood
sensitive techniques like atomic absorption spectrometry with electro ther-
mal atomization (ET-AAS) which allows the direct selenium determination
with minimum sample treatment can be used [39].
To understand the therapeutic effectiveness or lack of effectiveness of gold
for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, it is important to determine its sites
of action. The tissue distribution of gold can be determined by AAS which
permits the small amount of determination of elements in complex matrices
such as biological samples [40].
AAS method gives high specificity, rapid and simple procedure with high
precision and accuracy even at low concentrations in the determination of
chromium as chromate (Cr2O7) in organic substances such as faecal samples.
As Cr2O7 is used as non toxic, non absorbed, marker substance to estimate
forage intake in grazing ruminants [41].
Journal of Pharmacy Research Vol.5 Issue 3.March 2012
d.Geological applications
The occurrence and distribution of the chemical elements in the earth con-
cerns with the geochemistry. Technique like AAS is utilized for the analysis,
characterization of minerals occurring in pure form or as solid state mixtures
in rocks [42].
Flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry provides a simple, rapid and
cost effective pre concentration method for the determination of traces of
gold, silver, palladium in geological samples [43].The rocks are known to con-
tain small amounts of platinum metals. Due to the presence of low concen-
trations, determination of platinum in geological samples presents certain
difficulties. The geochemical study of the platinum content in the rocks can
be possible by means of atomic absorption spectroscopy [44]. The trace
determination of antimony in rocks and soils can be done by atomic absorp-
tion spectrometry by extracting antimony using 6M HCl into MIBK (me-
thyl isobutyl ketone) [45].
Noble metals such as gold distributed in the rocks can be determined by
atomic absorption spectrometry after the extraction into aqua regia [46]. Soils
are considered as the sinks for trace elements. Mercury is shown to be
present in high levels in agricultural soils as a consequence of the widespread
use of fungicides, fertilizers, seed disinfectants. GF-AAS is a more favorable
technique for the determination [47].
The determination of cadmium in geological materials can be done by flame
AAS [48]. Atomic absorption spectrometry with electrothermal atomization
can be used for the determination of bismuth even in the low concentrations
in the samples of geological materials [49].
Due to the pollution, a wide variety of chemicals have been detected in soil,
water, air there is a chance of metallic presence in the soils. The metal
concentrations can be analyzed by flame AAS after acid digestion [50]. Heavy
metals in soil samples can be determined by highly sensitive method such as
AAS [51]. Tin present in trace amounts in rocks, soils, and stream sediments
can be determined by AAS in air acetylene flame or in nitrous oxide acetylene
flame [52].
The concentrations of heavy metals in the soils provides higher concentra-
tion of metals in plants and consequently in animal and human bodies. GFAAS
estimates the concentrations of lead, zinc, cadmium, copper, iron, calcium
and magnesium in these matrices [53]. Arsenic (As) concentrations present in
the soils and sediments are dependent on the geological conditions and based
on the usage of pesticides etc. FAAS provides an analytical method for the
determination of total As concentrations [54].
e.Metallurgical applications
Analysis of metals or special strategic materials is needed in engineering,
science, biology or medicine to study the effect of the role of specific metallic
impurities introduced deliberately through manufacturing process. Atomic
absorption spectrometric techniques have emerged as the workhorse of any
modem analytical laboratory. The high sensitivity, specificity and wide work-
ing range have made these methods very useful for rapid analysis of solution
samples [55].
Flame AAS is a method which is applicable to the determination of the
metals like aluminium, antimony, arsenic, barium, beryllium, boron, cad-
mium, calcium, chromium, cobalt, copper, iron, lead, manganese, magnesium,
molybdenum, nickel, potassium, seleniuim, silicon, sodium, strontium, tin,
vanadium and zinc [56].
The trace metals (Mn, Fe, Co) in the copper can be determined simulta-
1614-1619
 Dedeepya Sudunagunta et al. / Journal of Pharmacy Research 2012,5(3),1614-1619
neously using a multi element graphite furnace AAS [57]. An atomic absorp-
tion spectrometry with graphite atomizer (GF-AAS) is one of the sensitive
and specific methods for trace metal determination. GF AAS methods can be
used for the determination of trace elements in nuclear fuels [58]. The method
of ET AAS can be applied for the direct determination of heavy metals in
environmental samples such as sea water [59].
The determination of aluminium by atomic absorption spectroscopy can be
done by using either oxy acetylene or oxy hydrogen flames fed with an
organic aerosol containing an aluminium complex [60]. The usage of nitrous
oxide acetylene flame for atomic absorption spectroscopy provides the sen-
sitive determination of beryllium, aluminium, silicon, titanium, vanadium
and tungsten [61]. Determination of sodium by AAS provides high degree of
freedom from interference [62].
Among the metal ions present in water sodium, potassium, calcium and
magnesium are determined by AAS. Elements such as tin, lead, arsenic,
selenium can be determined by hydride generation AAS after conversion into
their hydrides in HCl medium by treatment with sodium borohydride [63].
The analysis of iron in ferrous and nonferrous alloys, rocks, minerals, water,
effluents, blood and agricultural materials can be done by AAS [64].
High absolute sensitivity, small sample requirement gives more attractive-
ness for the usage of flameless AAS for the determination of selenium [65]. The
detection limits for the trace metals has been considerably low by flameless
AAS which can be done with very small samples [66]. AAS provides conve-
nient, rapid, suitable method for the determination of palladium [67].The sen-
sitivity obtained for the determination of silver by AAS is as high as that of
any other alternative methods of determination[68].
The metallic elements like vanadium, nickel, iron, magnesium and sodium
present in highly stable crude oil water emulsion can be determined by AAS
after dry ashing procedure for sample [69]. Aluminium concentrations present
in the drinking water, fruit juices and soft drinks can be determined by GF-
AAS [70].
The lead content of gasoline has an important modifying effect upon the
octane value of gasoline. AAS is used for the determination of lead in gasoline
which is carried out with great frequency by petroleum refining industry [71].
AAS is applied for the determination of traces of metals in petroleum derived
hydrocarbons which is aided by the enhanced sensitivity [72]. Micromolar and
nanomolar vanadium levels can be measured by GF-AAS [73]. Magnesium in
silicate rocks can be determined by AAS using nitrous oxide acetylene flame
[74]
. REFERENCES
AAS is one of the most common method for the determination of metals and
some metalloids [75]. Metals like arsenic, antimony, tin which are present in
steels can cause cracking in welded sections this necessitates the determina-
tion of these elements in the steel samples at low concentrations. AAS
provides sensitivity for the analysis of the small samples after solvent ex-
traction [76].
f.Environmental applications
The noble metals like platinum, palladium, rhodium applied in the automo-
bile catalytic converters are ejected out along with exhausted gases, due to the
abrasion of the catalytic surface which results in the contamination of the
roads and the surrounding area. As the emitted particles are distributed with
a lesser size, such smaller particles can be penetrated into the human lungs.
GF-AAS is the most suitable analytical method for the determination of
platinum and palladium at a very low concentration [77].
Journal of Pharmacy Research Vol.5 Issue 3.March 2012
Heavy metals in the biological samples like hair and nails need to be examined
as the metal body burden creates polluted environment. GF-AAS can be
used for their effective determination [78]. Heavy metals present in the natural
water samples can be estimated by flame AAS. Solid phase extraction (SPE)
was used for the pre concentration of the trace metal ion and elimination of
matrix interference and then subjected to AAS analysis [79].
AAS provides a method for the determination of manganese, iron, cobalt, and
nickel in air and water [80]. In natural water GF-AAS with SPE technology
provides inorganic speciation of As (III,V), Se (III,V) [81].
AAS provides a better option for the qualitative analysis of water samples
[82]
. Exhaust gases from vehicles were filtered through cellulose filter papers
using catalytic converters to collect suspended particles. The filter papers
after acid digestion bring solid material into solution. The analysis for the
palladium, platinum and rhodium can be done by GF-AAS [83].
g.Forensic applications
For criminalistic purposes, quantitative elemental composition of oils is
used for the differentiation between various oil samples [84]. Application of
AAS to detect multimetal traces in injured skin is a promising tool for inves-
tigation of fatalities caused by electrocution [85].
h.Marine applications
In marine environment, silver is recognized as a toxic element. The concentra-
tions of silver in sea water can be determined most sensitively by ET-AAS
[86]
. The presence of metals such as copper, zinc and nickel in the sea water
will be in very small concentrations. AAS is used for the determination of
metal concentrations in water from oceans [87]. AAS method can be applied
for the determination of copper, iron, lead, nickel, cadmium in sea water
samples [88].
CONCLUSION
Atomic absorption spectroscopy is an important analytical technique that
estimates the trace amount of metals in a faster way, more sensitive and
reliable tool in the determination of metallic elements from the biological,
environmental, pharmaceutical, food, geological and marine samples with
high accuracy and sensitivity. Due to its wider applications in various
important fields, it serves as an essential analytical technique in various
analytical laboratories. As it is much helpful in tracing the metallic sub-
stances which may be likely to be present in the pharmaceutical com-
pounds, that may be toxic in nature, it plays an essential role in the analysis
of pharmaceutical compounds as well.
1. Girijan. R. Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry-A Powerful
Analytical Technique, Pharma Times, 2012, 44, 16-18.
2. Subramanian M.S. Analysis of trace pollutants in water (continued),
Environmental Chemistry and Analysis, 4-18.
3. Dion M.A.M. Luykx, Saskia M. Van Ruth. An overview of analytical
methods for determining the geographical origin of food products,
Food Chemistry, 2008, 107, 897–911.
4. Nancy S Lewen and Martha M Schenkenberger. Pharmaceutical ap-
plications of Atomic Spectroscopy. Academic Press, Bristol-Myers
Squibb, New Brunswick, NJ, USA, 1999, 1792.
5. El-Hawary WF. Determination of lignocaine and amprolium in phar-
maceutical formulations using AAS. Journal of Pharmaceutical and
Biomedical Analysis, 2002, 27, 97–105.
6. Nancy Lewen. The use of atomic spectroscopy in the pharmaceutical
industry for the determination of trace elements in pharmaceuticals,
Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis, 2011, 55, 653–
661.
1614-1619
 Dedeepya Sudunagunta et al. / Journal of Pharmacy Research 2012,5(3),1614-1619
7. Erico Marlon de Moraes Floresa, Fabiana E. Barcelos da Silvaa, Eliane
Pereira dos Santosa, Favero Reisdorfer Paulaa, Juliano Smanioto
Barina, Renato Zanellaa, Valderi Luiz Dresslera, Celso Figueiredo
Bittencourt. Determination of total arsenic by batch hydride genera-
tion atomic absorption spectrometry in injectable drugs containing
high levels of Sb(V) as N-methylglucamine antimonite, Spectrochimica
Acta Part B, 2002, 57, 2095–2102.
8. Gunter Heinemanna, Burckhard Fichtlb, Matthias Mentlerc, Wolfgang
Vogt. Binding of vanadate to human albumin in infusion solutions, to
proteins in human fresh frozen plasma, and to transferring. Journal
of Inorganic Biochemistry, 2002, 90, 38–42.
9. Marcelina Eisman, Mercedes Gallego and Miguel Valcarcel. Auto-
matic determination of amylocaine and bromhexine by atomic ab-
sorption spectrometry. Journal of Pharmaceutical & Biomedical Analy-
sis, 1993, 11, 301-305.
10. Helena Puzanowska-Tarasiewicz, Ludmila Kuzmicka, Ewa
Kleszczewska. Application of reinecke salt and alizarin S for the
determination of promazine. Journal of Pharmaceutical and Bio-
medical Analysis, 2001, 26, 1–5.
11. Sheikha M. Al-Ghannam. Atomic absorption spectroscopic, conduc-
tometric and colorimetric methods for determination of some
fluoroquinolone antibacterials using ammonium reineckate.
Spectrochimica Acta Part A, 2008, 69, 1188–1194.
12. El Reis M.A, Abou Attia F.M, Kenawy I.M.M. Indirect determination
of captopril by AAS. Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analy-
sis, 2000, 23, 249–254.
13. Pandit S, Biswas T.K, Debnath P.K, Saha A.V, Chowdhury U, Shaw
B.P, Sen S, Mukherjee B. Chemical and pharmacological evaluation
of different ayurvedic preparations of iron. Journal of
Ethnopharmacology, 1999, 65,149–156.
14. Johanna Smeyers-Verbeke, Marc Detaevernier R, Denis L and Desire
Massart L. The determination of platinum in biological fluid by means
of graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. Clinica Chimica
Acta, 1981, 113, 329-333.
15. Ayad M. M, Khayyal S. E, and Farac N. M. Indirect Determination of
Pilocarpine by Atomic Absorption Spectrometry. Microchemical Jour-
nal, 1986, 33, 371-375.
16. Bela F, .Aly F.A, Walash M.I, Kenawy I.M, Osman A.M. Determina-
tion of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) in pharmaceutical
dosage forms using flame atomic absorption spectroscopy. II Farmaco,
1998, 53, 365-368.
17. Emami Khansari F, Ghazi-Khansari M, Abdollahi M. Heavy metals
content of canned tuna fish. Food Chemistry, 2005, 93, 293–296.
18. Dion M.A.M. Luykx, Saskia M, Van Ruth. An overview of analytical
methods for determining the geographical origin of food product.
Food Chemistry, 2008, 107, 897–911.
19. Niwat Manutsewee, Wanlapa Aeungmaitrepirom, Pakorn
Varanusupakul, Apichat Imyim. Determination of Cd, Cu, and Zn in
fish and mussel by AAS after ultrasound-assisted acid leaching extrac-
tion. Food Chemistry, 2007, 101, 817–824.
20. Chakrabarti C. L, Robinson J. W and Philip W. West. The atomic
absorption spectroscopy of lead. Analytica Chimica Acta, 1966, 34,
269-277.
21. Analysis of Toxic Metals in Lentinus edodes by Atomic Absorption
Spectroscopy. Food Chemistry, 2000, 69, 273 – 281.
22. Sibel Saracoglu, Mustafa Tuzen, Mustafa Soylak. Evaluation of trace
element contents of dried apricot samples from Turkey. Journal of
Hazardous Materials, 2009, (Article in Press).
23. Maria Madejczyk, Danuta Baralkiewicz. Characterization of Polish
rape and honeydew honey according to their mineral contents using
ICP-MS and F-AAS/AES. Analytica Chimica Acta, 2008, 617, 11–
17.
24. Karima Bakkali, Natividad Ramos Martos, Badredine Souhail, Evaristo
Ballesteros. Characterization of trace metals in vegetables by graph-
ite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry after closed vessel mi-
crowave digestion. Food Chemistry, 2009, 116, 590–594.
25. Falomir P, Alegro A, Barbera R, Farre R, Lagard M.J. Direct determi-
nation of lead in human milk by electrothermal atomic absorption
spectrometry. Food Chemistry, 1999, 64, 111-113.
Journal of Pharmacy Research Vol.5 Issue 3.March 2012
26. Naise M. Caldas, Jorge L. Raposo, José A. Gomes Neto, Fernando
Barbosa.. Effect of modifiers for As, Cu and Pb determinations in
sugar-cane spirits by GF AAS. Food Chemistry, 2009, 113, 1266–
1271.
27. Daniel C. Paschal. Biological monitoring with atomic spectroscopy.
Spectrochimica Acta, 1989, Vol. MB, No 12, 1229-1236.
28. Anthony P. Udoh. Atomic absorption spectrometric determination
of calcium and other metallic elements in some animal protein sources,
Talanta, 2000, 52, 749–754.
29. Ertasa O.S, Tezel H. A validated cold vapour-AAS method for deter-
mining mercury in human red blood cells. Journal of Pharmaceutical
and Biomedical Analysis, 2004, 36, 893–897.
30. Patricia A. Pleban and Karl H. Pearson. Determination of cadmium
in whole blood and urine by zeeman atomic absorption spectroscopy.
Clinica Chimica Acta, 1979, 99, 267-277.
31. Marina Buratti, Giuseppe Caravelli, Giuseppa Calzaferri and Antonio
Colombi. Determination of aluminium in body fluids by solvent ex-
traction and atomic absorption spectroscopy with electrothermal
atomization, Clinica Chimica Acta, 1984, 141, 253-259.
32. Willis J.B. The determination of metals in blood serum by atomic
absorption spectroscopy-II- Magnesium. Spectrochimica Acta, 1960,
16, 273- 278.
33. Chuzo Iida, Keiichiro fuwa, and Warren E.C.Wacker. A General Method
for Magnesium Analysis in Biological Materials by Atomic Absorp-
tion Spectroscopy. Analytical biochemistry, 1967, 18, 18-26.
34. Halls D.J, Fell G.S and Peggy M. Dunbar. Determination of copper in
urine by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. Clinica
Chimica Acta, 1981, 4, 21-27.
35. Wayne Robbins, Benjamin M. Dekoven and Joseph Caruso. Copper
in Erythrocytes by Flameless Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy. Bio-
chemical Medicine, 1975, 14, 184 -190.
36. Law Oliver Klotz, Miiller J&G, Murtina Fausel, Rolf Gebhardt and
Ulrich Weser. Reactivity of Lipophilic dischiff-Base Coordinated
Copper in Rat Hepatocytes. Biochemical Pharmacology, 1996, 51,
919-929.
37. Joan C May, Theodore C. Rains, June Maientbal F, Biddle G. N and
Joseph J. Progar. A survey of the concentrations of eleven metals in
vaccines, allergenic extracts, toxoids, blood, blood derivatives and
other biological products. Journal of Biological Standardization, 1986,
14, 363-375.
38. Robert A. Newman. Flameless atomic absorption spectrometry de-
termination of gallium in biological materials. Clinica Chimica Acta,
1978, 86, 195-200.
39. Rosa SabeI, Roser Rubio and Lydia Garcia-Beltran.Selenium measure-
ment in human plasma with Zeeman effect electrothermal atomic
absorption spectrometry: Sample stability and calibration method. J.
Trace Etern. Med. Biol, 2003, 17, 73-77.
40. Matthews D. O and Mcgahan M. C. Cysteine an effective matrix
modifier for determination of gold in biological samples by electro-
thermal atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Spectrochimica Acta,
1987, 42(7), 909-913.
41. Yiakoulaki M.D, Papadoyannis I.N, Nastis A.S. Determination of
marker chromic oxide in faeces of grazing goats on Mediterranean
shrublands by AAS. Animal Feed Science Technology. 1997, 67, 163-
168.
42. Anders S, Matschke J, Tsokos M, Internal current mark in a case of
suicide by electrocution. Am. J. Forensic Med. Pathol, 2001, 22,
370–373.
43. Chakrapani G, Mahanta P.L, Murty D.S.R, Gomathy B.
Preconcentration of traces of gold, silver and palladium on activated
carbon and its determination in geological samples by flame AAS
after wet ashing. Talanta. 2001, 53, 1139–1147.
44. Anna Simonsen. Determination of platinum in basic rocks by solvent
extraction and atomic absorption spectroscopy. Anal. Chim. Acta.
1970, 49, 368-370.
45. Welsch E. P and Chao T. T. Determination of trace amounts of
antimony in geological materlals by atomic absorption spectrom-
etry. Analytica Chimica Acta.1975, 76, 65-69.
46. Reddi G.S, Ganesh S, Rao C.R.M. and Ramanan. Determination of
1614-1619
 Dedeepya Sudunagunta et al. / Journal of Pharmacy Research 2012,5(3),1614-1619
gold in geological materials by atomic absorption spectrometry after
bromine and hydrochloric acid extraction at room temperature.
Analytica Chimica Acta, 1992, 260, 131-134.
47. Ignacio Ldpez-Garcfa, Mateo Sdnchez-Merlos, Manuel Herndndez-
Cdrdoba. Determination of mercury in soils and sediments by graph-
ite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry with slurry sampling.
Spectrochimica Acta Part B, 1997, 52, 2085-2092.
48. Henry Gong and Norman H. Suh. The determination of cadmium in
geological materials by flameless atomic absorption spectrometry.
Analytica Chimica Acta, 1976, 81, 297-303.
49. Jean S. Kane. Determination of nanogram amounts of bismuth in
rocks by atomic absorption spectrometry with electrothermal at-
omization. Analytica Chimica Acta, 1979, 106, 325-331.
50. Reda Abou-Shanab, Nevine Ghanem, Khaled G hanem and Abdu Al-
Kolaibe. Phytoremediation Potential of Crop and Wild Plants for
Multi-metal Contaminated Soils. Research Journal of Agriculture and
Biological Sciences, 2007, 3(5), 370-376.
51. Carolina Mico, Luis Recatala, Monica Peris and Jusan Sanchez. A
comparision of two digestion methods for the analysis of heavy
metals by flame atomic absorption spectroscopy. Spectroscopy Eu-
rope, 2007, 19, Article No 1.
52. Welsch E. P. and Chao T. T. Determination of trace amounts of tin in
geological materials by atomic absorption spectrometry. Analytica
Chimica Acta, 1976, 82, 337-342.
53. Buszewski B, Jastrzebska A, Kowalkowski T, Górna-Binkul A. Moni-
toring of Selected Heavy Metals Uptake by Plants and Soils in the
Area of Torun, Poland. Polish Journal of Environmental Studies,
2000, 9(6), 511-515.
54. Jutta Frank, Michael Krachler, William Shotyk. Direct determina-
tion of arsenic in acid digests of plant and peat samples using HG-AAS
and ICP-SF-MS. Analytica Chimica Acta. 2005, 530, 307–316.
55. Malamstadt H.V. and Chambers W.C. Anal Chem, 1960, 32, 225.
56. Robinson J.W. Atomic Spectroscopy; Marcel Dekker, New York,
1990.
57. Chun-Hao Chiu, Yu-Hsiang Sung, Shang-Da Huang. Simultaneous de-
termination of manganese, iron and cobalt in copper with a multi-
element graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometer.
Spectrochimica Acta Part B, 2003, 8, 575–580.
58. Neelam Goyal, Renu Agarwal, Paru J. Purohit, S.V. Godbole. Interpre-
tation of (Pu,U) Materials, 2008, 376, 119–124.
59. Josef Komarek, Jirý Holy. Determination of heavy metals by elec-
trothermal atomic absorption spectrometry after electro deposition
on a graphite probe. Spectrochimica Acta Part B.1999, 54, 733-738.
60. Chuni L Chakrabarti, George R Lyles, Fred B Dowling. The determi-
nation of aluminum by atomic absorption spectroscopy. Analytica
Chimica Acta,1963, 29, 489-499.
61. Headridge J.B, Hubbard D.P. The distermination of titanium in alloys
by atomic absorption spectroscopy. Analytica Chimica Acta. 1967,
37, 151-155.
62. Robinson J. W. Determination of sodium by atomic absorption spec-
troscopy. Analytica Chimica Acta, 1960, 23, 458-461.2
63. Jacobs M.B. Chemical analysis of Air Pollutants, Interscience, New
York, 1960, p.98.
64. Kenneth E, Smith C. W. Frank. Determination of iron in copper-
aluminum alloys by atomic absorption spectroscopy. Usable reso-
nance lines of iron. Anal. Chim. Acta, 1968, 42, 324-326.
65. Kiyohisa ohta and Masami Suzuki. Determination of selenium in
metallurgical samples by flamclcss atomic spectrometry. Analytica
Chimica Acta, 1975, 77, 288-292.
66. Donald V. Brady. Joseph G. Montalvo, Gregory glowacki and Alex
Pisciotta. Direct determination of zinc in sea-bottom sediments by
carbon tube atomic absorption Spectrometry. Analytica Chimica Acta,
1974, 70, 448-452.
67. Erinc G and Magee R. J. The determination of palladium by atomic
absorption spectroscopy. Analytica Chimica Acta, l964, 31, 197-
205.
68. R. Belcher. An examination of the atomic absorption spectroscopy
Source of support: Nil, Conflict of interest: None Declared
Journal of Pharmacy Research Vol.5 Issue 3.March 2012
of silver. Talanta, 1964, 11, 1257- 1263.
69. Oswald Platteau and Marcel Carrillo. Determination of metallic ele-
ments in crude oil-water emulsions by flame AAS, Fuel, 1995, 74(5),
761-767.
70. Luciano de Almeida Pereira a, Ilmair Gonçalves de Amorimb, José
Bento Borba da Silva. Development of methodologies to determine
aluminum, cadmium, chromium and lead in drinking water by ET AAS
using permanent modifiers. Talanta, 2004, 64, 395–400.
71. Bermejo-Barrera P, Moreda-Piiieiro J, Moreda-Pifieiro A, Bermejo-
Barrera A. Study of chemical modifiers for direct determination of
silver in sea water by ETA-AAS with deuterium background correc-
tion. Talanta, 1996, 43, 35-44.
72. Moore E. J, Milner O.I., and Glass J. R. Application of Atomic Ab-
sorption Spectroscopy to Trace Analyses of Petroleum. Microchemical
Journal, 1966, 10, 148-157.
73. Debasis Chakraborty and Arabinda K. Das. Indirect determination of
vanadium by atomic absorption spectrometry. Analytica Chimica
Acta, 1989, 218, 341-344.
74. Nesbitt R. W. The determination of magnesium in silicates by atomic
absorption spectroscopy. Anal. Chim. Acta, 1966, 35, 413-420.
75. Walsh A. Atomic absorption spectroscopy - some personal recollec-
tions and speculations. Spectrochim. Acta, 1980, 35, 639-642.
76. Ratcliffe D.B, Byford C.S, Osman P.B. The determination of arsenic,
antimony, tin in steels by flameless atomic absorption spectrometry.
Anal. Chim. Acta, 1975, 75, 457-459.ination of arsenic, antmonn
77. Chwastowska J, Skwara W, Sterli´nska E, Pszonicki L. Determination
of platinum and palladium in environmental samples by graphite
furnace atomic absorption spectrometry after separation on dithizone
sorbent. Talanta, 2004, 64, 224–229.s
78. Rita Mehra, Meenu Juneja. Elements in scalp hair and nails indicating
metal body burden in polluted environment. Journal of Scientific and
Industrial Research, 2005, 64, 119-124.
79. Ibrahim Narin, Mustafa Soylak, Latif Elc, Mehmet Dogan. Determi-
nation of trace metal ions by AAS in natural water samples after
preconcentration of pyrocatechol violet complexes on an activated
carbon column. Talanta, 2000, 52, 1041–1046.pec
80. Sham Sachdev , Robinson J.W and Philip W. West. Determination of
manganese, iron, cobalt and nickel in air and water by atomic absorp-
tion spectroscopy. Analytica Chimica Acta, 1967, 38, 499-506..
81. Liang Zhang, Yukitoki Morita, Akio Sakuragawa, Akinori
Isozaki.Inorganic speciation of As(III, V), Se(IV, VI) and Sb(III, V) in
natural water with GF-AAS using solid phase extraction technology.
Talanta, 2007, 72, 723–729.
82. Eletta O. A. A. Determination of some trace metal levels in Asa river
using AAS and XRF techniques. International Journal of Physical
Sciences, 2007, 2(3), 56-60.
83. Antonio Goncalves, Jose R. Dom Mguez, Jose Alvarado. Determina-
tion of Pd, Pt and Rh in vehicles escape fumes by GF-AAS and ICP-
OES. Talanta, 2008, 75, 523–527.
84. Zieba–Palus J. Examination of used motor oils by flame AAS for
criminalistic purposes: a diagnostic study. Forensic Science Interna-
tional, 1998, 91, 171–179.
85. Marija Jakubeniene, Algirdas Zakaras, Zita Nijole Minkuviene, Alvydas
Benoshys. Application of atomic absorption spectroscopy for detec-
tion of multimetal traces in low-voltage electrical marks. Forensic
Science International, 2006, 161, 36-40.
86. Bermejo-Barrera P, Moreda-Piiieiro J, Moreda-Pifieiro A, Bermejo-
Barrera A. Study of chemical modifiers for direct determination of
silver in sea water by ETA-AAS with deuterium background correc-
tion. Talanta, 1996, 43, 35-44.
87. Robert J. Magee and Matior Rahhan A. K. Determination of copper
in sea water by atomic absorption spectroscopy. Talanta, 1965, 12,
409-416.
88. Uit Divrikli, Latif Elçi. Determination of some trace metals in water
and sediment samples by flame atomic absorption spectrometry after
coprecipitation with cerium (IV) hydroxide. Analytica Chimica Acta,
2002, 452, 231–235.
1614-1619