24-10-2012, 11:20 AM
Atomic Spectroscopy: A Looking-Glass View of the Past, Present and Future
ABSTRACT
The science of atomic spectroscopy dates back some 140 years. Since that time, a variety of techniques have been
developed. In some cases, they compete against each other, but each has a unique history and specific applications and benefits.
The oldest atomic spectroscopy technique is flame emission spectrophotometry, first employed by Gustav R. Kirchhoff and
RobertW. Bunsen in the mid-1800s. Spark emission spectrometry was a natural progression of the method and was developed
in the early to mid-1900s for the analysis of conductive solid samples using a spectrographic plate. Lines were identified and
intensities determined for each elemental wavelength with the aid of crude measuring devices. Later technical advances led
to electrothermal vaporization atomic absorption spectrometry using a carbon rod or tube, which was developed to reduce
detection limits to parts-per-trillion levels for some elements and to offer a limited microsolid analysis capability. Finally, in
the early 1980s, an interface was developed in the UK to fit a mass spectrometer to the inductively coupled plasma which led
to the rise of inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy. This reduced detection limits for the elements analyzed by this
method to the parts-per-trillion range and resulted in less spectral interference. In the past 40 years, atomic spectroscopy has
progressed beyond expectations for virtually all the aforementioned variants. The methods continue to thrive, although their
roles are shifting with the expansion of alternative systems. Yet each will have a sizable market for at least another 40 years
because no one technique will replace all the others.
ABSTRACT
The science of atomic spectroscopy dates back some 140 years. Since that time, a variety of techniques have been
developed. In some cases, they compete against each other, but each has a unique history and specific applications and benefits.
The oldest atomic spectroscopy technique is flame emission spectrophotometry, first employed by Gustav R. Kirchhoff and
RobertW. Bunsen in the mid-1800s. Spark emission spectrometry was a natural progression of the method and was developed
in the early to mid-1900s for the analysis of conductive solid samples using a spectrographic plate. Lines were identified and
intensities determined for each elemental wavelength with the aid of crude measuring devices. Later technical advances led
to electrothermal vaporization atomic absorption spectrometry using a carbon rod or tube, which was developed to reduce
detection limits to parts-per-trillion levels for some elements and to offer a limited microsolid analysis capability. Finally, in
the early 1980s, an interface was developed in the UK to fit a mass spectrometer to the inductively coupled plasma which led
to the rise of inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy. This reduced detection limits for the elements analyzed by this
method to the parts-per-trillion range and resulted in less spectral interference. In the past 40 years, atomic spectroscopy has
progressed beyond expectations for virtually all the aforementioned variants. The methods continue to thrive, although their
roles are shifting with the expansion of alternative systems. Yet each will have a sizable market for at least another 40 years
because no one technique will replace all the others.