Atomic emission spectroscopic intensity

Owing to their superior fluorescent yield, heavy elements ordinarily yield considerably more intense XRF bands than the light elements. This feature can be exploited to determine the concentration of inorganic species in a sample, or the concentration of a compound that contains a heavy element in some matrix. Many potential XRF applications have never been developed owing to the rise of atomic spectroscopic methods, particularly inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry [74]. Nevertheless, under the right set of circumstances, XRF analysis can be profitably employed. 

Measurements of the intensity and wavelength of radiation that is either absorbed or emitted provide the basis for sensitive methods of detection and quantitation. Absorption spectroscopy is most frequently used in the quantitation of molecules but is also an important technique in the quantitation of some atoms. Emission spectroscopy covers several techniques that involve the emission of radiation by either atoms or molecules but vary in the manner in which the emission is induced. Photometry is the measurement of the intensity of radiation and is probably the most commonly used technique in biochemistry. In order to use photometric instruments correctly and to be able to develop and modify spectroscopic techniques it is necessary to understand the principles of the interaction of radiation with matter. 

In reference 190, the authors describe the spectroscopic and X-ray crystallographic techniques they used to determine the pMMO structure. First, EPR and EX AFS experiments indicated a mononuclear, type 2 Cu(II) center hgated by histidine residues and a copper-containing cluster characterized by a 2.57 A Cu-Cu interaction. A functional iron center was also indicated by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-AES). ICP-AES uses inductively coupled plasma to produce excited atoms that emit electromagnetic radiation at a wavelength characteristic of a particular element. The intensity of this emission is indicative of the concentration of the element (iron in this case) within the sample. 

A second spectroscopic thermometer comes from the relative intensities of atomic emission lines in the sonoluminescence spectra of excited-state metal atoms produced by sonolysis of volatile Fe, Cr, and Mo carbonyls. Sufficient spectral information about emissivities of many metal atom excited states are available to readily calculate emission spectra as a function of temperature. Because of this, the emission spectra of metal atoms are extensively used by astronomers to monitor the surface temperature of stars. From comparison of calculated spectra and the observed MBSL spectra from metal carbonyls, another measurement of the cavitation temperature was obtained.6 The effective emission temperature from metal atom emission during cavitation under argon at 20 kHz is 4,900 250 K. 

The oldest of the spectroscopic radiation sources, a flame, has a low temperature (see Section 4.3.1) but therefore good spatial and temporal stability. It easily takes up wet aerosols produced by pneumatic nebulization. Flame atomic emission spectrometry [265] is still a most sensitive technique for the determination of the alkali elements, as eg. is applied for serum analysis. With the aid of hot flames such as the nitrous oxide-acetylene flame, a number of elements can be determined, however, not down to low concentrations [349]. Moreover, interferences arising from the formation of stable compounds are high. Further spectral interferences can also occur. They are due to the emission of intense rotation-vibration band spectra, including the OH (310-330 nm), NH (around 340 nm), N2 bands (around 390 nm), C2 bands (Swan bands around 450 nm, etc.) [20], Also analyte bands may occur. The S2 bands and the CS bands around 390 nm [350] can even be used for the determination of these elements while performing element-specific detection in gas chromatography. However, SiO and other bands may hamper analyses considerably. 

Chemical interferences occur both in flame emission and atomic absorption. This occurs whenever some chemical reaction changes the concentration of the ground state analyte element in the flame. Reference to Chapter 9, Figure 9-10, shows processes that occur in the flame that affect both atomic absorption and flame emission spectroscopic measurements. If the analyte element can form stable oxides or hydroxides, some of the ground state atoms of the element are not available for absorption of energy. The result is an absorption signal of decreased intensity thus oxide formation removes ground state atoms from the flame. 

Ultrasonic irradiation of volatile organometallics (such as Fe(CO)s or Cr(CO)6) in a low volatility organic liquid produces intense sonoluminescence that corresponds to the known atomic emission lines of the metals, again analogous to flame emission. Hot-spot temperatures are sufficient not only to dissociate all the CO ligands fl om the metal complex, but also to produce excited state metal atoms. Figure 5 shows a typical MBSL spectrum from a metal carbonyl solution (Cr(CO)e in this example). Note the intense line emission from the metal atom excited states as well as bands from excited states of the diatomics, C2 and CH. This metal atom emission provides a useful spectroscopic thermometer, as described later. 

The emission from [Ru(bpz)3] is quenched by carboxylic acids the observed rate constants for the process can be rationalized in terms of the protonation of the non-coordinated N atoms on the bpz ligands. The effects of concentration of carboxylate ion on the absorption and emission intensity of [Ru(bpz)3] have been examined. The absorption spectrum of [Ru(bpz)(bpy)2] " shows a strong dependence on [H+] because of protonation of the free N sites the protonated species exhibits no emission. Phosphorescence is partly quenched by HsO" " even in solutions where [H+] is so low that protonation is not evidenced from the absorption spectrum. The lifetime of the excited state of the nonemissive [Ru(Hbpz)(bpy)2] " is 1.1ns, much shorter than that of [Ru(bpz)(bpy)2] (88 nm). The effects of complex formation between [Ru(bpz)(bpy)2] and Ag on electronic spectroscopic properties have also been studied. Like bpz, coordinated 2,2 -bipyrimidine and 2-(2 -pyridyl)pyrimidine also have the... 

The tail of the plasma formed at the tip of the torch is the spectroscopic source, where the analyte atoms and their ions are thermally ionized and produce emission spectra. The spectra of various elements are detected either sequentially or simultaneously. The optical system of a sequential instrument consists of a single grating spectrometer with a scanning monochromator that provides the sequential detection of the emission spectra lines. Simultaneous optical systems use multichannel detectors and diode arrays that allow the monitoring of multiple emission lines. Sequential instruments have a greater wavelength selection, while simultaneous ones have a better sample throughput. The intensities of each element s characteristic spectral lines, which are proportional to the number of element s atoms, are recorded, and the concentrations are calculated with reference to a calibration standard. 

The sodium D-line is actually a pair of closely spaced spectroscopic lines seen in the emission spectrum of sodium atoms. The wavelengths are centered at 589.3 nm. The intensity of this emission makes it the major source of light (and causes the yellow color) in the sodium arc light. 

More common methods for elemental analysis - to determine the elemental contents of a sample - include spectroscopy and spectrometry. Spectroscopy measures changes in atoms that cause a specific light photon to be either absorbed (absorption spectroscopy) or emitted (emission spectroscopy). This light has a precise wavelength or energy, characteristic of a specific element in the periodic table. The simplest (and oldest) form of elemental analysis was not spectroscopic, in fact, but colorimetric. This method was based on the reaction of a strongly colored chemical in a solution. The appearance of a specific color in the solution revealed the identity of the element of interest. If the color intensity is proportional to the amount of that element present, the method can also be used to estimate the amount of the element present. 

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