Applications Of

Atomic Absorption spectroscopy & Atomic Emission Spectroscopy

Atomic absorption spectrophotometry is now a routinely and widely employed technique for analysis of complex matrices of geological biological environmental industrial origin. These methods using flame are rapid and precise and are applicable to about 67 elements. however, these are more sensitive and need much smaller samples. Here some applications of AAS, We begin with biological samples:

Biological Samples A wide range of the samples of biological origin are subjected to analytical procedures for the determination of the elements present in them. These may include plant leaves, fruits, vegetables blood urine muscle tissue Hair etc. The major difficulty in the analysis of these materials is their complex nature. In case of blood analysis, plasma or serum is generally preferred because of the presence of significant amounts of clinically significant elements in them.

Determination of calcium in serum

AAS determination of calcium in serum is carried out by calibration method .

Determination of cadmium
Cadmium is one of the most important toxic elements from the environmental point of view. It is the prime cause of itai-itai disease first observed in Japan, it also causes many consequences in body because of its toxic activity. Cadmium in blood is determined through AAS.

Determination of lead
lead is another highly toxic element which is an environmental contaminant. It enters into biological systems like plants and animals and reaches blood, urine, teeth, bones, hair, plant and animal tissues, etc. These materials need to be analytically assessed for the amount of lead so that its damage potential can be ascertained.

Zinc in plant leaves

Zinc is an essential nutrient in plants and remains distributed in all parts of the plant and can be determined by AAS.

Environmental Samples
Air, soil and water are three components of environment where determination of toxic contaminant is of extreme importance. Analysis of particulate matter in air from industrial establishments is the most representative study of environmental samples by atomic spectrometry

Analysis of airborne particulate matter

samples may be collected from surrounding areas of a factory emitting harmful gases affecting workers health adversely or a residential colony located near industrial establishment and the sample is assessed for toxic elements through AAS.

Mercury in air/water
Metallic mercury is important as it forms amalgam with other metals. Its alloy with silver was earlier used by dentists for dental filling though it is no longer so because of toxicological effects known since many years. Mercury in air is collected by bubbling air through an acidic KMnO4 solution where volatile elemental mercury is trapped by oxidising it to Hg2+.

Trace element contamination in soil

In order to determine toxic contaminants in soil samples, the representative samples are collected from surface of the soil, and also at some depth. These are then passed through a sieve to make it uniform sample and is stored in separate containers to avoid cross contamination. Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb, etc. are then determined by using AAS

Industrial Samples
Quality control of finished products of steel industry and other products such as alloys requires accurate analysis. Determination of molybdenum in steel Molybdenum can be determined in acetylene-air

Tin in canned fruit juice

Availability of fruit juice in tinned cans is becoming increasingly common. As tin is likely to be leached in acidic medium of juice the contents of the can get contaminated. Hence its determination is quite important to ascertain the contamination, if any. Sn can be determined successfully by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry (GFAAS).

APPLICATIONS OF AES
Emission spectroscopy is widely used for qualitative as well as quantitative analysis. AES is especially suited for rapid analysis of the elemental contents in small samples. It is is used widely for determining trace metals in environmental samples such as: drinking water, industrial waste water and ground water supplies and so also for determining trace metals in petroleum products, biological materials, foodstuffs geological samples and industrial quality control.

 The excellent sensitivity and wide working range for many elements together with the low level of interferences make ICP-AES a nearly ideal method.

Biological Samples
a wide range of the samples of biological origin are subjected to analytical procedures for the determination of the elements present in them. Determination of sodium in serum

Geological Samples
The analysis of geological samples constitutes a major area of the application of atomic emission spectrometry. A large proportion of the elements of the periodic table present in the geological samples can be conveniently determined by AES spectrometry. These are the elements determined through AES: Si, Al, Fe, Mg, Ca, Na, K, Ti, Mn, P , as Li, Sr, Ba, Sc, Y, La, Zr, V, Nb, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu and Zn,

Environmental Samples
Environment is an important area wherein the elemental analysis is of significant importance. Trace elements in airborne particulate matter AES has been used extensively for the determination of trace elements in atmospheric particulates, especially large scale survey studies where simultaneous multielement analysis is required.

Industrial Samples
The application of atomic emission spectroscopy in analysing the industrial samples like the determination of metals in lubricating oil as

Determination of metals in lubricating oil The determination of metals in lubricating oils used in aircraft, truck, locomotive and other engines provide an excellent indication of the mechanical wear and tear of the engine. This routine programme of wear-metal analysis saves lot of money all around the world. . The most important wear metals that are monitored are Fe, Al, Mg, Cu and Ag along with other trace metals These determinations are generally made by spark AES method