Molecular absorption spectrometry in flames and furnaces: A review

Title Molecular absorption spectrometry in flames and furnaces: A review
Author: Butcher, David J
Analytica Chimica Acta, 2013
2013
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0003267013010179
More details: Abstract Molecular absorption spectrometry (MAS), originally developed in the 1970s, is a technique to determine non-metals in flames and graphite furnaces by monitoring the absorbance of diatomic molecules. Early studies employed low resolution instruments designed for line source atomic absorption, which provided a limited choice of analytical wavelengths, insufficient spectral resolution, and spectral interferences. However, the development of high-resolution continuum source atomic absorption spectrometry (HR-CS AAS) instrumentation has allowed the analysis of challenging samples for non-metals as well as some difficult elements to determine by AAS, such as aluminum and phosphorus. In this review, theory and analytical considerations for \{MAS\} are discussed. The principles and limitations of low resolution \{MAS\} are described, along with its applications. HR-CS \{AAS\} instrumentation is reviewed, emphasizing performance characteristics most relevant for MAS. Applications of flame and HR-CS \{GFMAS\} are reviewed, highlighting the most significant work to date. The paper concludes with an evaluation of the enhanced analytical capabilities provided by HR-CS MAS. Atomic absorption spectrometry,Flame,Graphite furnace,High-resolution continuum source,Molecular absorption spectrometry