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AAS, GFAAS, ICP or ICP-MS? Which technique should I use?
An elementary overview of elemental analysis.
From Nauman Mithani
From the world leader in AA, ICP-OES and ICP-MS
ATOMIC SPECTROSCOPY:
A Guide to Selecting the Appropriate Technique and System.
Atomic spectroscopy is the technique for determiningthe elemental composition of an analyte by itselectromagnetic or mass spectrum. Several analyticaltechniques are available, and selecting the mostappropriate one is the key to achieving accurate,reliable, real-world results.Proper selection requires a basic understanding of eachtechnique since each has its individual strengths andlimitations. It also requires a clear understanding of your laboratory’s analytical requirements.The following pages will give you a basic overview of the most commonly used techniques and provide theinformation necessary to help you select the one that best suits your specific needs and applications.
Primary Industries
Many industries require a variety of elementaldeterminations on a diverse array of samples.Key markets include:•Environmental•Chemical/Industrial•Geochemical/Mining•Biomonitoring•Food•Agriculture•Hydrocarbon Processing•Semiconductor•Nuclear•Sustainable Energy•PharmaceuticalFor more details, see page 13.
What is atomic spectroscopy?
Commonly used atomic spectroscopy techniques.
There are three widely accepted analytical methods—atomic absorption, atomic emission and massspectrometry—which will form the focus of ourdiscussion, allowing us to go into greater depth on themost common techniques in use today:•Flame Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy•Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy•Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical EmissionSpectroscopy (ICP-OES)•Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry(ICP-MS)
Flame Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy
Atomic Absorption (AA) occurs when a ground stateatom absorbs energy in the form of light of a specificwavelength and is elevated to an excited state. Theamount of light energy absorbed at this wavelengthwill increase as the number of atoms of the selectedelement in the light path increases. The relationship between the amount of light absorbed and theconcentration of analytes present in known standardscan be used to determine unknown sample concentrations by measuring the amount of light they absorb.Performing atomic absorption spectroscopy requires aprimarylight source, an atom source, a monochromatorto isolate the specific wavelength of light to bemeasured, a detector to measure the light accurately,electronics to process the data signal and a datadisplay or reporting system to show the results. (SeeFigure 1.) The light source normally used is a hollowcathode lamp (HCL) or an electrode-less dischargelamp (EDL). In general, a different lamp is used foreach element to be determined, although in somecases, a few elements may be combined in a multi-element lamp. In the past, photomultiplier tubes have been used as the detector. However, in most moderninstruments, solid-state detectors are now used. FlowInjection Mercury Systems (FIMS) are specialized,easy-to-operate atomic absorption spectrometers forthe determination of mercury. These instruments use ahigh-performance single-beam optical system with alow-pressure mercury lamp and solar-blind detectorfor maximum performance.Whatever the system, theatom source used mustproduce free analyte atoms from the sample. Thesource of energy for free-atom production is heat,most commonly in the form of an air/acetylene ornitrous-oxide/acetylene flame. The sample isintroduced as an aerosol into the flame by the sampleintroduction system consisting of a nebulizer andspray chamber. The burner head is aligned so thatthe light beam passes through the flame, wherethe light is absorbed.The major limitation of Flame AA is that the burner-nebulizer system is a relatively inefficientsampling device. Only a small fraction of the samplereaches the flame, and the atomized sample passesquickly through the light path. An improved samplingdevice would atomize the entire sample and retainthe atomized sample in the light path for an extendedperiod of time, enhancing the sensitivity of thetechnique. Which leads us to the next option—electrothermal vaporization using a graphite furnace.
HCL orEDL LampDetectorMonochromatorFlame
Figure 1.
Simplified drawing of a Flame AA system.
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ATOMIC Spectroscopy a Guide to Selecting the Appropriate Technique and System
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