Quecksilberanalytik
Mercury Analysis

The Dedicated Mercury Trace Analyzer
mercur DUO plus

2mercur DUO plus
Trace analysis of mercury is a global challenge. The
growing industrialization, with the development of ever
new technologies and materials, leads to increasing
pollution of the environment. Mercury is a particularly
critical polluting element due to its toxicity.

Standards and legislation worldwide continue tobecome ever more stringent. The maximum permissible
concentrations of mercury are lower than those of any
other routinely monitored element. Hg contents need to bedetermined with high certainty and repeatability down tothe ultratrace level.
mercur DUO plus – the mercury analyzer from Analytik
JenaThe mercur DUO plus is a compact system specially
optimized for the complete, cost-efficient determination of
mercury traces.
■■ Highly automated – in combination with an autosampler

and easy to operate, it meets all expectations to a modern
routine analysis system■■ Fast – thanks to time-controlled flow injection with orwithout autosampler plus the unique FBR routine (FastBaseline Return)■■ Reliable – through the use of a bubble sensor, a specially
optimized drying membrane, and cascade enrichment■■ Efficient – due to automated, intelligent gas-liquid 		control, ensuring minimum reagent consumption andshort measurement times

3mercur DUO plus

The Dedicated Mercury TraceAnalyzer

4Analytical Certainty Down to the ng Level

Modern techniques for mercury analysis have to meet anumber of clear and exacting requirements:■■ High sensitivity and selectivity■■ High sample throughput■■ Interference-free methods■■ Easy routine operation
Atomic absorption and atomic fluorescence – in onesystem
The mercur DUO plus analyzer detects mercury contents bymeans of atomic fluorescence (AFS) or atomic absorption(AAS). Atomic fluorescence spectrometry, unlike absorption

spectrometry, measures the fluorescence radiation emitted
by a sample. The mercur uses a high-energy low-pressure
mercury vapor lamp as a radiation source for both,
fluorescence and absorption spectroscopy. Its high energy
output adds considerably to the sensitivity of the method.
Thanks to its excellent detection limits and its wide linear
measuring range, atomic fluorescence spectrometry is often
the method of choice in mercury trace analysis. On theother hand, atomic absorption has its advantages in difficult
sample matrices because of its high tolerance towards
interferences.

5An added advantage: cold vapor technique
The mercur DUO plus combines the advantages of a highly
sensitive detection technology and the cold vapor technique.
Using the cold vapor technique, mercury is converted to thegaseous state by reduction of the dissolved cation with SnCl2and separated from the solution. The gaseous mercury iscarried to the fluorescence or absorption cell by an argon
gas stream. As the analyte is separated from the matrix,
interferences and matrix effects are almost completelyeliminated.
Optimum enrichment
To adapt the mercur DUO plus to varied analytical tasks,
you can choose between three enrichment modes: noenrichment, simple enrichment, and cascade enrichment. The
cascade enrichment feature, compliant to EPA requirements,
comprises two coupled gold collectors, which ensures clean
separation of the matrix and prevents quenching effects –thus providing maximum dependability even with complex
samples. Enrichment times can be varied to match the sample
matrix or the expected mercury concentration range.
Increasingly stringent standards
The wolrdwide most stringent standards governing mercury
determination are based on the atomic fluorescence method.
Designed to meet these requirements, the mercur DUO plus
guarantees mercury analyses compliant with:■■ EPA 245.1, EPA 245.2 EPA 245.7■■ EN 1483, EN 12338, EN 13806, EN 13506
Efficient protection
The mercur DUO plus displays its true strength whenhandling complicated samples such as foaming solutions.
These occur frequently in everyday laboratory practice andinvolve a high risk of contamination and carry-over. The
mercur DUO plus features an important detail, the bubble
sensor, which avoids unnecessary cleaning.

If a liquid threatens to spill into the system, this sensor
causes the valves to close, and the liquid is automaticallyconducted to the waste container.
Positioned between gas-liquid separator and drying
membrane, it protects the gold collector and measurement
cell against contamination.
Clever dosage
Two pump systems separately meter sample and reagentsand transport them to the reactor. Sample solution and acidare fed to the reactor in segments, controlled by a set ofvalves. The reductant is fed directly into the reactor. There
the two solutions meet at an acute angle. The resulting
chemical reaction immediately releases atomic mercury
vapor. This mode of separating sample and acid ensures fastcleaning of the pump tubing after aspiration of the sample
solution. This helps to save time and reduces the amount ofreagents needed. It additionally prevents contamination incase of large concentration gradients within a sequence ofmeasurements.
Intelligent control
To ensure a smooth reaction process in any of the various
operating modes, the mercur features an intelligent gas/liquid control system. Thanks to the instrument’s complex
valve groups, tubing paths have been minimized to prevent
contamination, and to keep carry-over as low as possible.
The system-flushing feature can be run in an automaticmode, operating whenever the calibrated concentration
range is exceeded, or as a user-defined option. Thisguarantees a successful analysis in cases of strong variationsof the mercury content within a sequence of measurements.
These features are needed in order to take advantage of thewide linear range of the atomic fluorescence spectrometer ineveryday routine analysis.

6Prime Considerations:Operating Convenience and Automation
Comprehensive data processing and quality control
The WinAAS control and data analysis software not only
handles all everyday routine tasks but also meets thestrictest requirements of quality control. It provides optimum
operation, for routine operation as well as for research. The
software’s automatic and versatile quality control systemmonitors your analytical data and releases appropriate
instrument response if permissible limits are exceeded.

A schematic action chart visualizes the simultaneous andsequential processes during a measurement cycle, so thatyou can follow the course of the analysis exactly.

WinAAS fulfills all the requirements of modern routine andresearch laboratories, at highest operating convenience.
■■ Intuitive and user-friendly operation■■ Integration of all accessories■■ Complete documentation and reporting, conforming to
GLP and FDA 21 CFR Part 11■■ Quick and easy saving and loading of methods and 		parameter files■■ Convenient sample table with many actions to choose
from Automatic quality control for monitoring youranalytical data

Continuous, efficient operation
The fundamental concept of the mercur permits continuous
operation, whether in combination with the autosampler
AS-F or AS-FD for maximum sample throughput, or inmanual configuration:■■ Automatic metering of reagents and sample■■ Automatic flushing of the tubings■■ Automatic cleaning of the carrier gas

A method library comprising a number of different basicroutine methods matching the various operating modes,
facilitates the use of the mercur DUO plus in everyday
routine and permits method optimization in the case of
more complex analyses.

The FBR feature (Fast Baseline Routine) substantiallyreduces the total analysis time and ensures fast sample
throughput, with no compromise on the quality of measured
data.

Combination with the autosampler ensures highly efficientlaboratory work in your lab. High sample throughput,shortest possible tubing paths due to integration of thesampler, continuous flushing to avoid carry-over – it is thecombination of these features that facilitates the routine
analysis of mercury traces.

7

mercur DUO plus – an Instrument for Many
Applications
Mercury analysis is employed in a wide range of fields. Dueto the harmful influence on the human organism, mercury
is a focus of close attention: In medical disciplines such as
occupational medicine and dentistry, as well as in drinking
water and food control.
Wherever mercury concentrations must be strictly monitored
to avoid violation of prescribed concentration limits,a system which can measure lowest mercury contents
with certainty and repeatability is required. With its highdetection sensitivity, the mercur is especially designed foranalyzing and monitoring the toxic element mercury at trace
and ultratrace levels.

Light source

Quartz window
entrance
Absorption cell
Quartz lens 1

Quartz window
with exit slit

Fluorescence cell

Quartz lens 2

Movablephotomultiplier

Scheme of mercur DUO plus

BranchApplication

Environment

Drinking water, fresh water, rain water, wastewater, soil, etc.

Medicine

Blood, urine, serum, saliva, etc.

FoodFish, beverages, cereals, etc.

GeologyRocks, ashes, minerals, etc.

Industry

Quality inspection, paper, plastics, etc.

Research & Teaching

Universities, research institutions, etc.

Signal shape with enrichment (a), without enrichment (b), both withFBR, c = 25 ng/l

Analytik Jena AG
Konrad-Zuse-Strasse 107745 Jena ⋅ Germany
Phone +49 3641 77 70
Fax		 +49 3641 77 9279
info@analytik-jena.com
www.analytik-jena.com

Pictures: Analytik Jena AG,
Subjects to changes in design and scope of delivery as well as further technical development!

en · 11/2018 · 888-11005-2
Förster & Borries GmbH & Co. KG© Analytik Jena AGHeadquarters