LAUSR

Abstract Herein, we propose a simplified design for a solution anode glow discharge-atomic emission spectrometry (SAGD-AES) device for determination of Ag, Bi, Cd, Hg, Pb, Tl, and Zn concentrations in solutions with high sensitivity. Using a Ti rod as the cathode, the need for a cooling device and noble gas environment was eliminated, which would enable the miniaturization of the device in the future. Moreover, the quartz tube in the device was directly connected to the graphite rod to eliminate the need to maintain a constant sample solution level in the device during discharge. A thorough parametric evaluation of the proposed SAGD-AES for heavy metal determination was performed. Our proposed SAGD-AES device achieved detection limits of 0.03, 1.98, 0.07, 1.7, 1.35, 0.02, and 0.12 μg L−1 for Ag, Bi, Cd, Hg, Pb, Tl, and Zn, respectively, with the corresponding relative standard deviations for analyte concentrations of 10 μg L−1 (Ag, Cd, Tl, Zn) and 200 μg L−1 (Bi, Hg, Pb) being