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  Home > JCE Print > Journal of Chemical Education > Issues > 2004  > July  >
In the Laboratory
Determination of Calcium in Cereal with Flame Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy. An Experiment for a Quantitative Methods of Analysis Course
Ali Bazzi, Bette Kreuz, and Jeffrey Fischer
Department of Natural Sciences, University of Michigan–Dearborn, Dearborn, MI 48128
Cover
July 2004
Vol. 81 No. 7
p. 1042
Abstract
This article describes the determination of calcium in cereal with flame atomic absorption spectroscopy. A cereal sample is crushed then dry-ashed at 600 °C in a silica crucible. The residue is treated with 5 mL of 6 M hydrochloric acid, diluted to volume, and aliquots taken and prepared for analysis using the two increment standard addition approach. The prepared solutions are aspirated into a nitrous oxide–acetylene flame and the absorbance measurements are made using the resonance line of calcium at λ = 422.7 nm, 0.5-nm slit width, and 5.0-mA lamp current. This experiment has been successfully used in the Quantitative Methods of Analysis course. It minimizes hazardous waste by eliminating the need for sample digestion with concentrated nitric acid. The results obtained by 36 students majoring in biochemistry, biology, chemistry, Earth science, or environmental science are presented. The results for the determination of calcium in two brands of cereal showed good precision with the majority (72%) of the data having RSD ≤ 5%.
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Instructions for students and notes for the instructor are available.
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*  Citation
 Bazzi, Ali; Kreuz, Bette; Fischer, Jeffrey. J. Chem. Educ. 2004 81 1042.
*  Keywords
 Analytical Chemistry; Atomic Spectroscopy; Calcium; Food Science; Laboratory Instruction
*  History
 Created:
Last Updated:		 May 27, 2004
January 19, 2005
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