application note - GBC Scientific

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AAS or ICP-OES Are They Competing Techniques?IntroductionThe analyst today is faced with a bewilderingchoice of techniques when deciding to enterthe field of elemental analysis. Should it beAtomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS), inductively coupled plasma Optical EmissionSpectrometry (ICP-OES), InductivelyCoupled plasma Mass Spectrometry(ICP-MS) or inductively coupled plasma ArcSpark (ICP-AS)?One of the areas where the choice issupposedly most difficult to resolve concernsAAS and ICP-OES. When ICP-OES wasdeveloped in the mid-1970 s, the scientificpress read ICP is going to sweep AAS awayand take over as the only analytical techniqueworth considering for liquid samples . Today,whilst there has been a significant move byanalysts away from AAS towards ICP-OES, itis important to remember that in fact thetechniques are complimentary rather and ICP-OES are solution-basedanalytical techniques, although solid samplinghas been pursued in both types of equipmentwith varying degrees of success.

With an inductively-coupled plasma source, the sample experiences temperatures estimated to be in the vicinity of 10000K. This results in atomization and excitation of

  Notes, Applications, Plasma, Application note, Coupled, Inductively, Inductively coupled plasma