What is atomic absorption spectroscopy?

What is atomic absorption spectroscopy?
Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy is an analysis technique for rapid trace metal analysis. It is based on element specific wavelength light absorption by ground state atoms in the flame or electrothermal graphite furnace.

It's wide applications in the analysis for trace metals in soils, lakes, rivers, oceans, and drinking water, pharmaceuticals, foods and beverages, geological and mineralogical samples, petroleum products, biological fluids and specimens and forensic analysis. 

How to select model of atomic absorption spectrometer?
It is common to get detect limit in ppm levels using flame to select ATA3500 and a higher sensitivity of ppb levels when we using graphite furnace atomisation to select ATA6500.

What Is Principle of Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy?

Atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) is based upon the principle that free atoms in the ground state can absorb light of a certain wavelength. These very specific wavelengths give the technique excellent specificity and detection limits in the AAS analysis. Absorption for each element is specific, no other elements absorb this wavelength. Typical applications of AAS include – 

Quantitative metal concentrations in solution
Analysis of lead in paint
Monitoring of trace metals in industrial effluent streams
Trace elements in product/raw materials along with ICP-MS
Analysis of additives and purity in steels and other metal alloys
Analysis of low-level contaminants
Several analytical techniques have been applied for detection and quantitative estimation of trace metals in different types of matrices. Classical techniques based on gravimetric and titrimetry provided good accuracy but were time-consuming.

Increasing demand for fast analysis of instrumental methods such as XRF, LIBS, Ion selective electrodes, UV-VIS spectroscopic techniques, Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy, ICP-OES and ICP-MS. The choice of element analysis technique depends on the required detect limit, available sample quantity, concentration, and most important available budget. 

Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy is a moderately priced instrumental analysis technique which provides a high degree of accuracy and precision of results. Due to its techniques pricing advantages and low detect limit, it finds its rightful place in university laboratories, pollution control laboratories and especially industrial quality control laboratories.