Atomic Emission Spectrometer, Flame

This chapter discusses the purpose, principle of operation, specifications, and applications of flame atomic emission spectrometer. Flame atomic emission spectroscopy (AES) is an analysis technique that employs the intensity of light emitted from a flame at a particular wavelength to determine the quantity of an element in a sample. Flame AES is based on the principle that every element has a specific number of electrons associated with its nucleus. AES is ideally suited for multi-elemental analysis because all analytes in a sample are excited simultaneously. A flame atomic emission spectrometer is similar in design to the instrumentation for atomic absorption spectrometer. The essential components of an AES are a nebulizer within a spray chamber, a premix burner, flame, monochromator, detector, and readout system. Most applications of flame AES have been the determination of trace metals, especially in liquid samples. Flame emission detectors are also used in gas chromatography.