Spectrometer system for simultaneous multi-element electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry using line sources and Zeeman-effect background correction

Abstract

The design and implementation of a complete instrument system for simultaneous analysis of up to four elements by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry is described. The system combines the high throughput per unit spectral bandpass of an échelle optical system with the high quantum efficiency of a custom made solid-state detector. The use of a transversely heated graphite atomizer with integrated platform in a longitudinally oriented magnetic field enables the development of methods for simultaneous multi-element determinations and increases radiation throughput by eliminating the need for a polarizer. Performance characteristics such as optical throughput, spectral resolution and stray light are discussed and correlated with analytical performance using a state of the art single-element atomic absorption spectrometer system as a basis for comparison.