Laboratory Procedures; General - Agilent Technologies VGA 77 User Manual

Analytical Notes
You should establish whether background absorption is occurring
before carrying out your analytical program. This can be done by
analyzing a sample with background correction on and then
repeating the analysis with it off. (Remember to do an instrument
zero before each measurement.)
If a significant difference is found between the two measurements,
then perform your analyses with background correction on. If there
is none, leave the background correction off.

Laboratory Procedures

General

The vapor generation technique demands a particularly high
standard of care in all of the activities which affect the accuracy and
precision of the analytical result. Scrupulous cleanliness is essential
in all laboratory procedures; standards and samples must be
meticulously prepared and carefully handled. Strict precautions must
be taken to avoid contamination of apparatus and even though
laboratory ware is stored under ideal conditions, it should be
thoroughly re-washed before use.
Strict care should also be taken to avoid contamination of all
reagents and distilled water. Ideally, reagents should be entirely free
of the element of interest, but this is obviously impossible for all
analyte elements in all reagents. Consequently, you must always
establish the level of the analytical signal attributable to analyte in
the reagents. It is, of course, standard practice to check the analytical
signal from the blank solution before calibrating the instrument and
carrying out the analytical program.
Dispose of waste in accordance with relevant safety practices.
60 Agilent Vapor Generation Accessory VGA 77 and VGA 77P User's Guide