Estimation of Absolute Number Densities in Atomic Emission, Absorption and Fluorescence Using Line and Continuum Sources

NUMEROUS AUTHORS HAVE PRESENTED METHODS FOR EVALUATION OF ABSOLUTE NUMBER DENSITIES OF ATOMIC SPECIES PRESENT IN FLAMES, PLASMAS, AND VAPOR CELLS. SOME OF THE SIMPLEST METHODS FOR EVALUATION OF NUMBER DENSITY RELY ON THE SUPPLY OF AND ATOMIZATION EFFICIENCY OF THE ANALYTE OF INTEREST. EXPERIMENTAL- LY, MANY OF THE ABOVE MENTIONED METHODS ARE QUITE DIFFICULT OR TIME CONSUMING TO IMPLEMENT. MANY RELY ON AN ABSOLUTE CALIBRATION OF THE DETECTION OPTICS AND PHOTODETECTOR, WHILE SOME REQUIRE AND ADDITIONAL CALIBRATED SOURCE. SOME METHODS REQUIRE A DETAILED KNOWLEDGE OF THE SOURCE CHARACTERISTICS INCLUDING THE SOURCE INTENSITY AND THE SPECTRAL PRIFILE (GAUSSIAN OR OTHERWISE). IN THE METHOD PRESENTED HERE, THE EXPRESSIONS FOR THE HIGH AND LOW NUMBER DENSITY SI- TUATIONS ARE USED TO OBTAIN EQUATIONS FOR A SINGLE POINT WHICH MAY BE DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE CONCENTRATION OF SPECIES PRESENT IN THE ANALYTICAL VOLUME DETEC- TED IN ATOMIC EMISSION, ABSORPTION AND FLUORESCENCE.

RUTLEDGE M.J.;  SMITH B.W.; 

1995-03-15

JRC5100