An Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer

Abstract

A double-beam, single-detector, time-sharing spectrophotometer has been designed with optimum parameters for the atomic absorption technique. The monochromator is a dual-grating, high-dispersion, Ebert–Fastie type. The major requirements of an atomic absorption spectrophotometer are stability, a wide range of slit-widths, and minimum sensitivity to emission from the flame. Many of the traditional requirements of an ultraviolet spectrophotometer can be relaxed. Ordinate scale expansion makes it possible to achieve lower detectability limits. With the present design, it has been possible to measure concentrations of less than 0.1 ppm of copper, cadmium, and chromium with coefficients of variation of less than 10%.