Spectral Interference and Correction

Spectral interference is much more common in plasmas than in flames due to the great efficiency of excitation in plasmas. Elements such as Fe, Mn, Ta, Mo, W, and U emit thousands of lines in a plasma source. Ideally, the analyte wavelength chosen should have no interference from other emission lines, but this is often not possible. 

Alternatively, the analyte or the interfering element may be extracted from the sample, thereby eliminating the interference. 

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Atomic emission spectroscopy is one of the most useful and commonly used techniques for analyses of metals and nonmetals providing rapid, sensitive results for analytes in a wide variety of sample matrices. Elements in a sample are excited during their residence in an analytical plasma, and the light emitted from these excited atoms and ions is then collected, separated and detected to produce an emission spectrum. The instrumental components which comprise an atomic emission system include (1) an excitation source, (2) a spectrometer, (3) a detector, and (4) some form of signal and data processing. The methods discussed will include (1) sample introduction, (2) line selection, and (3) spectral interferences and correction techniques. 

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