Cold Vapor Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (CVAAS) provides excellent sensitivity and specificity for mercury analysis. Hydra AA is a fully automated atomic absorption-based mercury analyzer that provides the ability to measure Hg in concentrations ranging from its detection limit of 1 ppt into the high ppb range. Hydra AA will provide exceptional performance in a wide variety of applications such as mercury in water, wastewater, soils, sludge, tissues, blood, etc.

Hydra AA is designed to automate all aspects of the Hg measurement. Using its on-board 5 channel peristaltic pump and high capacity autosampler, Hydra AA can process up to 10 standards, 7 check standards and 88 samples in a single unattended run. With this system, predigested sample is pumped together with stannous chloride during the reduction step. The mixture then flows into Hydra’s innovative gas/liquid separator where the analyte vapor then traverses a Nafion™ dryer on its way to a high sensitivity atomic absorption-based detection system.

Hydra’s gas/liquid separator not only provides high throughput for routine samples, it also provides superior analytical recoveries for complex or poorly digested samples and an ability to accommodate difficult foaming samples. Hydra’s proprietary high sensitivity detection system is designed to provide exceptional path length for maximum absorption, while minimizing internal volume for high sample throughput. The dual beam detection system employs a high performance feedback-stabilized 254 nm emission source for exceptional stability. This design yields very low limits of detection together with rapid vapor washout for superior sample throughput

The High Concentration Protection System To help with the analysis of real world samples, Hydra AA is equipped with an automatic high concentration protection system designed to prevent the cleanup that can be necessary after an analyzer has been exposed to a sample containing high levels of mercury. With this system, if an unknown sample yields an abnormally rapid increase in signal, sample uptake is halted, the liquid and gas lines are flushed to prevent mercury vapor from adsorbing to internal surfaces and the purge process continues until the signal returns to baseline and is stabilized. The offending sample is then flagged on the analysis report and the analysis continues.