Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry Based on Self-absorption in the Flame and Using the Flame as a Light Emission Source

A method of flame atomic absorption analysis has been developed which does not need a light source, such as hollow-cathode lamp, which to produce the radiation absorbed by the analyte atoms. Light emission from the analyzed atoms in the flame can serve as a light source because this emission has the same wave length as the resonance absorption line of the unexcited analyte atoms. At certain conditions, in the flame can take place an absorption process known as self-absorption. In the work self-absorption occurring in the flame is used to determine absorbance. Absorbance is calculated from the flame emission intensity signal of the analyte atoms. A computer program is specially created to calculate absorbance, to draw the calibration curve and to compute the analyte concentration. For safety purposes ethyl alcohol is used as a flame fuel and is applied as an alcohol vapor / air flame. Because this flame has low temperature, only lithium, potassium, sodium, calcium, barium is able to be analyzed.