A new, simple and sensitive method by combining headspace Pd(II)-coated graphite bar microextraction (GBME) with electrothermal vaporization-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ETV-ICP-MS) was developed for the determination of trace Se, Te and Bi in seawater and human hair. In this method, the graphite bar was coated with Pd(II) and then used for headspace trapping of the hydrides of Se(IV), Te(IV) and Bi(III). The graphite bar with enriched hydrides of analytes was inserted directly into the graphite tube and subsequently determined by ETV-ICP-MS according to the established temperature program. The experimental parameters, which may affect the extraction and vaporization of target analytes, were systematically investigated and the optimal experimental conditions were established. Under the optimal conditions, the detection limits of the method were 8.6, 2.6 and 0.2 ng l(-1) and the relative standard deviations (RSDs) were 7.0%, 6.2% and 8.0% (C = 0.20 mu g l(-1), n = 7) for Se, Te and Bi, respectively. Linearity was obtained over the range of 0.05-20.00, 0.01-5.00 and 0.01-20.00 mu g l(-1) with the correlation coefficients of 0.9942, 0.9997 and 0.9976 for Se, Te and Bi, respectively. The proposed method was successfully applied for the determination of trace Se. Te and Bi in seawater and human hair samples. In order to validate the method, the proposed method has also been applied for the determination of trace Se, Te and Bi in the certified material of GBW07601 human hair, and the determined values were in good agreement with the certified values. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
