Nebulizer types

Table 9.44 Comparison of the absolute sensitivity of different nebulizer types for 238 U+ measured with ICP-SFMS (Element).

O Callaghan, C., White, J., Jackson, J., Barry, P. W., and Kantar, A. (2005), Delivery of nebulized budesonide is affected by nebulizer type and breathing pattern, J. Pharm. Pharmacol, 57,787-790. 

Pinlay, W.H. Stapleton, W.K. Zuberbuhler, P. Variations in predicted regional lung deposition of salbutamol sulphate between 19 nebulizer types. J. Aerosol Med. 1998, 11 (2), 65-80. 

Study group n Nebulizer type ADR requiring drug change (%) Failures (%) Deaths (%) Ref. 

A cross-flow nebulizer for dc arc solution and AAS work was described by Valente and Schrenk [113]. For ICP work the nebulizer should have capillaries with diameters < 0.2 mm and a distance of 0.05-0.5 mm between the tips. The capillaries also can be made of metal, glass or plastic and they have similar characteristics to the concentric nebulizer. Types made of Ryton for example enable the aspiration of solutions containing higher concentrations of HF. Then aerosol gas flows are around 1-2 L/min at 2-5 bar. This has been confirmed by optimization measurements described by Fujishiro et al. [114]. They found that by varying the inside and the outside diameters of the capillary from 0.15 to 0.9 mm and from 0.5 to 1.5 mm, respectively, the pressure drop across the sample tube decreases from 150 to 50 mbar. By increasing the gas flow from 0.75 to 1.75 L/min, the pressure drop across the sample tube was found to increase from 150 to 350 mbar. As shown in Fig. 43 [114], the variations in the drops in pressure considerably influence the droplet size. 

Ultrasonic nebulization This has been applied since the early work on ICP-AES [151], Both nebulizer types where the sample liquid flows over the nebulizer transducer crystal and types where the ultrasonic radiation (at 1 MHz frequency) is focussed through a membrane on the standing sample solution have been used. When applying aerosol desolvation the power of detection of ICP-AES can be improved by a factor of 10 by using ultrasonic nebulization. This specifically applies to elements such as As, Cd and Pb, which are of environmental interest. However, because of the limitations discussed in Section 3.2, the approach is of particular use in the case of dilute analytes such as in water analysis [150]. Additional fine detailed development, however, is regularly carried out, as with ICP-AES the process is crucial for elements such as Cd, As and Pb for which threshold values in fresh water samples can just still be measured reliably with this type of sample introduction. Such a development is the microultrasonic nebulizer (pUSN) operated with argon carrier gas, as described by Tarr et al. [410]. 

The major advantage of this method lies in its multi-element capability and high sensitivity (detectivity) (Hill etal. 1993). On-line combinations with separation techniques are easily set up. The excitation source is an inductively coupled plasma or - less commonly - a direct current- (DCP) or microwave- plasma (MIP) plasma temperatures are around 5000-9000°K. Chemical interferences, such as molecular emissions are rarely observed, but background compensation should be applied in any case. Sample introduction is performed via a nebulizer and spray chamber (see earlier in this chapter for details of nebulizer types and related problems and solutions). Sequential... 

The sample introduction from an LC column to ICP-MS is performed by a nebulizer. The usual nebulizers are pneumatic nebulizers, such as Meinhard, crossflow, or microconcentric nebulizers (MCNs). Additionally, there is the ultrasonic nebulizer (USN), the direct-injection nebulizer (DIN), and the hydraulic high-pressure nebulizer (HHPN). The nebuli-zation efficiency depends on nebulizer type and is typically low for Meinhard and crossflow nebulizers (only around 1—5 %, [23]), whereas it is high for the DIN and USN. 

Suitable inlets commonly used for liquids or solutions can be separated into three major classes, two of which are discussed in Parts A and C (Chapters 15 and 17). The most common method of introducing the solutions uses the nebulizer/desolvation inlet discussed here. For greater detail on types and operation of nebulizers, refer to Chapter 19. Note that, for all samples that have been previously dissolved in a liquid (dissolution of sample in acid, alkali, or solvent), it is important that high-purity liquids be used if cross-contamination of sample is to be avoided. Once the liquid has been vaporized prior to introduction of residual sample into the plasma flame, any nonvolatile impurities in the liquid will have been mixed with the sample itself, and these impurities will appear in the results of analysis. The problem can be partially circumvented by use of blanks, viz., the separate examination of levels of residues left by solvents in the absence of any sample. 

Nebulizers can be divided into several main types. The pneumatic forms work on the principle of breaking up a stream of liquid into droplets by mechanical means the liquid stream is forced through a fine nozzle and breaks up into droplets. There may be a concentric stream of gas to aid the formation of small droplets. The liquid stream can be directed from a fine nozzle at a solid target so that, on impact, the narrow diameter stream of liquid is broken into many tiny droplets. There are variants on this approach, described in the chapter devoted to nebulizers (Chapter 19). 

Many designs of nebulizer are commonly used in ICP/MS, but their construction and mode of operation can be collated into a small number of groups pneumatic, ultrasonic, thermospray, APCI, and electrospray. These different types are discussed in the following sections, which are followed by further sections on spray and desolvation chambers. 

Three common types of nozzle are shown diagrammatically. Types A and K are similar, with sharp cutoffs on the ends of the outer and inner capillaries to maximize shear forces on the liquid issuing from the end of the inner tube. In types K and C, the inner capillary does not extend to the end of the outer tube, and there is a greater production of aerosol per unit time. These concentric-tube nebulizers operate at argon gas flows of about 1 1/min. 

For solids, there is now a very wide range of inlet and ionization opportunities, so most types of solids can be examined, either neat or in solution. However, the inlet/ionization methods are often not simply interchangeable, even if they use the same mass analyzer. Thus a direct-insertion probe will normally be used with El or Cl (and desorption chemical ionization, DCl) methods of ionization. An LC is used with ES or APCI for solutions, and nebulizers can be used with plasma torches for other solutions. MALDI or laser ablation are used for direct analysis of solids. 

Depending on the type of nebulizer used and its efficiency, there may be initially a significant proportion of large droplets in the aerosol. Heavier than the very fine droplets, the larger droplets are affected by gravity and by turbulent flow in the argon sweep gas, which cause them to deposit onto the walls of the transfer tube. 

Specific advancements ia the chemical synthesis of coUoidal materials are noteworthy. Many types of genera ting devices have been used to produce coUoidal Hquid aerosols (qv) and emulsions (qv) (39—43) among them are atomizers and nebulizers of various designs (30,44—50). A unique feature of produciag Hquid or soHd coUoids via aerosol processes (Table 3) is that material with a relatively narrow size distribution can be routinely prepared. These monosized coUoids are often produced by relying on an electrostatic classifier to select desired particle sizes ia the final stage of aerosol production. 

Kennedy describes a method using an ultrasonic nebulizer to generate a fog of water droplets w hich is used in the same way as smoke to visualize airflows. Several types of nebulizers are available but they require an electrical connection and are not hand-held. Food dye can be added to the water to produce colored fog. The nebulizers are expensive (about 1500 ECU) but have negligible operating costs. Although the amount of smoke produced is small, it is nontoxic and nonirritating. 

If the nurse is responsible for administering the medication by nebulization, it is important to place the patient in a location where he can sit comfortably for 10 to 15 minutes. The compressor is plugged in and the medication mixed as directed, or the prepared unit dose vial is emptied into the nebulizer. Different types of medication are not mixed without checking with the physician or the pharmacist. The mask or mouthpiece is assembled and the tubing connected to the compressor. The patient is placed in a comfortable, upright position with the mask over the nose and mouth. The mask must fit properly so that the mist does not flow up into the eyes. If using a mouthpiece instead of a mask, have the patient place the mouthpiece into the mouth. The compressor is turned on and the patient instructed to take slow, deep breaths. If possible, the patient should hold his breath for 10 seconds before slowly exhaling. The treatment is continued until the medication chamber is empty. After treatment, the mask is washed with hot, soapy water, rinsed well, and allowed to air dry. 

Three different reactors were used to deposit CuInS2 films via AACVD. Reactor A, shown schematically in Fig. 6.11a, was primarily used in the parametric studies described below. This is a horizontal, atmospheric pressure, hot-wall reactor with a plate-type 2.5-MHz ultrasonic nebulizer from Sonaer Ultrasonics. The precursor (1.5-3.5g) was dissolved into distilled toluene (50-400 ml) and fed into the nebulizer using a syringe pump. The nebulizer... 

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