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Flame Atomic Absoption Spectroscopy (Faas)

Flame atomic absorption spectroscopy is a technique used to detect metals and metalloids in environmental samples. It works by converting metal ions in a solution to atomic state using a flame, then measuring the amount of light absorbed at specific wavelengths. The document then discusses the history and development of spectroscopy, outlines the basic principles and operation of atomic absorption spectroscopy, and describes the typical instrumentation used, including cathode lamps, atom cells, monochromators, detectors, and other hardware.

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87 views18 pages

Flame Atomic Absoption Spectroscopy (Faas)

Flame atomic absorption spectroscopy is a technique used to detect metals and metalloids in environmental samples. It works by converting metal ions in a solution to atomic state using a flame, then measuring the amount of light absorbed at specific wavelengths. The document then discusses the history and development of spectroscopy, outlines the basic principles and operation of atomic absorption spectroscopy, and describes the typical instrumentation used, including cathode lamps, atom cells, monochromators, detectors, and other hardware.

Uploaded by

ahmad
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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ABSOPTIO

N
SPECTROS
COPY
Introduction
Flame atomic absorption is a very common
technique for detecting metals and metalloids in
environmental samples. It is very reliable and
simple to use. Figure 1 shows which elements are
commonly detected through atomic absorption.
The technique is based on the fact that ground
state metals absorb light at specific wavelengths.
Metal ions in a solution are converted to atomic
state by means of a flame. Light of the
appropriate wavelength is supplied and the
amount of light absorbed can be measured
against a standard curve.
Figure1. Elements detectable by atomic absorption are highlighted in pink in th
periodic table.
History
The history of spectroscopy starts with the
use of the lens by Aristophanes about 423
B.C.; and the studies of mirrors by Euclid
(300 B.C.) and Hero (100 B.C.). Seneca (40
A.D.) observed the light scattering
properties of prisms, and in 100 A.D.
Ptolemy studied incidence and refraction.
Alhazen in 1038 studied reflection and
refraction of light, and in 1250 Roger Bacon
determined the focal points of concave
mirros.
Around 1600, the telescope was developed

in Holland and by 1610, Galileo had made


improvements on the telescope design. Sir
Isaac Newton (1642-1727) performed many
experiments on the separation of light to
obtain a spectrum and the indices of
refraction of different colors of light; he
applied those principles to the telescope.
Fraunhofer, about 1814-15, observed
diffraction phenomena and was able to
measure wavelength instead of angles of
refraction. Herschel (1823) and Talbot
(1825) discovered atomic emission when
certain atoms were placed in a flame.
Wheatstone concluded in 1835 that metals
could be distinguished from one another on
basis on the wavelengths of this emission.
In 1848, Foucault observed atomic emission
from sodium and discovered that the
element would absorb the same rays from
an electric arc.
In the later 1800, scientists such as Kirchoff,
Bunsen, Angstrm, Rowland, Michelson and
Balmer studied the composition of the sun
based on their emissions at different
wavelengths. Kirchoff summarized the law
which states that, "Matter absorbs light
at the same wavelength at which it
emits light". It is under this law that
atomic absorption spectroscopy works.
Woodson was one of the first to apply this
principle to the detection of mercury. In
1955, Walsh suggested the use of cathode
lamps to provide an emission of appropriate
wavelength; and the use of a flame to
produce neutral atoms that would absorb
the emission as they crossed its path.
Instrumentation and applications for atomic
absorption greatly expanded after the
1950s.
Basic Principle
The technique of flame atomic absorption
spectroscopy (FAAS) requires a liquid sample
to be aspirated, aerosolized, and mixed with
combustible gases, such as acetylene and air
or acetylene and nitrous oxide. The mixture
is ignited in a flame whose temperature
ranges from 2100 to 2800 oC.
During combustion, atoms of the element of
interest in the sample are reduced to free,
unexcited ground state atoms, which absorb
light at characteristic wavelengths, as shown
in figure 3.
Figure 3. Operation principle of an atomic absorption spectrometer.
The characteristic wavelengths are element
specific and accurate to 0.01-0.1nm. To
provide element specific wavelengths, a
light beam from a lamp whose cathode is
made of the element being determined is
passed through the flame. A device such as
photonmultiplier can detect the amount of
reduction of the light intensity due to
absorption by the analyte, and this can be
directly related to the amount of the
element in the sample.
Features of Atomic Absorption
Instrumentation Hardware

Figure 4. Flame absorbrion spectrometer with attached graphite


furnace.
Figure 4 shows an atomic absorption
spectrometer. This instrument in particular
is designed to operate either with a flame or
with a graphite furnace. The graphite
furnace is additionally equipped with an
auto sampler.
Flame atomic absorption hardware is

divided into six fundamental groups that


have two major functions: generating
atomic signals and signal processing. Signal
processing is a growing additional feature to
be integrated or externally fitted to the
instrument. The instrument parts are shown
in figure 5.
Figure 5. schematic of basic instrumental parts of atomic
absorption spectrometer
A cathode lamp (1), shown in figure 6, is a
stable light source, which is necessary to
emit the sharp characteristic spectrum of the
element to be determined. A different
cathode lamp is needed for each element,
although there are some lamps that can be
used to determine three or four different
elements if the cathode contains all of them.
Each time a lamp is changed, proper
alignment is needed in order to get as much
light as possible through the flame, where
the analyte is being atomized, and into the
monochromator.
Figure 6. Cathode lamp.
Figure 7. Atom cell.
The atom cell (2), shown in figure 7, is the part with
two major functions: nebulization of sample solution
into a fine aerosol solution, and dissociation of the
analyte elements into free gaseous ground state
form. Not all the analyte goes through the flame, part
of it is disposed as shown in the figure.
As the sample passes through the flame, the beam of

light passes through it into the monochromator (3).


The monochromator isolates the specific spectrum
line emitted by the light source through spectral
dispersion, and focuses it upon a photomultiplier
detector (4), whose function is to convert the light
signal into an electrical signal.
The processing of electrical signal is fulfilled by a

signal amplifier (5). The signal could be displayed for


readout (6), or further fed into a data station (7) for
printout by the requested format.

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