A graphite cup inserted into a graphite tube was investigated for the direct analysis of solid samples using graphite furnace AAS. Arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead and manganese were determined in reference materials, Atomisation from the cup delays sample volatilisation until the tube has stabilised in temperature so that the same effect is obtained as with a L'vov platform. Background attenuation and non-spectral interferences are substantially reduced under these near-thermal equilibrium conditions, so that all determinations can be carried out against acid reference solutions. The reproducibility of the results is typically around 10%. The values obtained are not always within the recommended or certified range; the accuracy is more than acceptable, however, for a semi-quantitative determination or for screening purposes.

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Caesium and rubidium have been determined by flame and furnace atomicabsorption spectrometry. It was found that both techniques are reasonably free from interferences and accurate enough for the routine analysis of various types of samples.

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