CE528 .

Environmental Chemistry &

Microbiology
AAS
INVENTION
• Introduced in 1955 by Alan Walsh in Australia
• Firstly used for mining, medical treatment & agriculture
• Alan Walsh (1916-1998)
Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer
Atomic Absorption Spectrometer
• Atomic absorption spectrometers have 4 principal components
1 A light source (usually a hollow cathode lamp)
2 An atom cell (atomizer )
3 A monochromator
4 A detector, and read out device
PROPERTIES OF AAS

• The most widely used method in analysis of elements

• Based on the absorption of radiation
• Highly sensitive (ppb)
• Quantitative analysis
 WORKING PRINCIPLE OF AAS
• Electrons promote to higher orbitals for a short amount of time by absorbing energy
• M + hv → M*
• Beer-Lambert Law
A= a.b.c
INSTRUMENTATION
LIGHT SOURCES
Hollow Cathode Lamps
• Anode-Tungsten wire
• Cathode made from the element of interest (Na, K, Ca..)
• Argon or neon gas
 ATOMIZATION

• Compounds making up the sample are broken into free atoms

• High temperature is necessary
• Two types
-Flame atomizer
-Electrothermal atomizer
 TYPES OF ATOMIZERS
FLAME ATOMIZER
• Simplest atomization
• Converts analyte into free atoms of vapor phase
• Flammable & caustic gases
 TYPES OF ATOMIZERS
ELECTROTHERMAL ATOMIZER
• A cylindirical graphite tube
• Inert gas medium (Argon gas)
• Longer anlaysis time than flame
• Superior sensitivity, high accuracy
 MONOCHROMATOR

• Also it is called wavelengh selector

• Select the specific wavelenght
• Polychromatic light →monochromatic light
• Simple one is enough for AAS
 DETECTOR
• Electromagnetic waves → electric current
• The most used one Photomultiplier tube
• Have fast response times
CALIBRATION TECHNIQUES

• Two main techniques

Calibration curve method

Standard addition method
 CALIBRATION TECHNIQUES
CALIBRATION CURVE METHOD

• Draw a graph
• Have two or more variables
-One is set at known values
-One is measured response

• Most convenient for a large number of similar samples analysis.

CALIBRATION TECHNIQUES

An example of calibration curve method

 CALIBRATION TECHNIQUES
STANDARD ADDITION METHOD

• To measure the analyte concentration in a complex

matrix.

• Most convenient for small number of samples

analysis

• Prevent effect of chemical & spectral interferences

 INTERFERENCES

• Causes higher or lower absorbance value

• Two major groups

Chemical Interferences

Spectral Interferences
 CHEMICAL INTERFERENCES

• The most common one in flame atomizer.

• Consequence of chemical reactions.

• Reduce amount of oxygen in flame to overcome

 SPECTRAL INTERFERENCES

• Absorption or emission of the radiation at the same

wavelength

• Radiation which is absorbed→positive errors

• Radiation which is emmitted→negative errors

SPECTRAL CORRELATION METHODS

TWO-LINE CORRELATION METHOD

• Select two line
characteristic wavelength of analyte
very close to analyte line but not absorbed by analyte

• Measure the difference between two lines

 SPECTRAL CORRELATION
METHODS
CONTINUUM SOURCE CORRELATION METHOD
• Select two lamps
Deuterium lamp & hollow cathode lamp
• When hollow cathode lamp is used total absorbance
is measured
• When deuterium lamp is used only background
absorption is measured
• Measure the difference between two lines.
 APPLICATIONS OF AAS
• Water analysis (e.g. Ca, Mg, Fe, Si, Al, Ba content)
• Food analysis
• Analysis of animal feedstuffs (e.g. Mn, Fe, Cu, Cr, Se,Zn)
• Analysis of soils
• Clinical analysis (blood samples: whole blood, plasma,serum; Ca, Mg,
Li, Na, K, Fe)