Atomic absorption spectrometer
AssigneeBodenseewerk Perkin-Elmer & Co., GmbH
InventorsBernhard Radziuk, Günter Rödel
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention relates to an atomic absorption spectrometer, comprising a measuring light path leading from at least one light source emitting line radiation corresponding to at least one element to be detected, through an atomization means for atomizing a sample containing the element to be detected, to a detection means, and a reference light path leading from each light source to the detection means. The invention is characterized in that a beam splitting means is provided such that a first component of the line radiation of each light source is guidable via the measuring light path and a second component of the line radiation of each light source is simultaneously guidable via the reference light path.
Claims21
An atomic absorption spectrometer (100;
- 200;
- 300;
- 400), comprising:
- a plurality of light sources including at least one light source (150;
- 250;
- 350;
- 450, 451) emitting line radiation corresponding to at least one element to be detected and a continuum light source (380;
- 480) emitting continuum radiation for background correction;
- a measuring light path (110;
- 210;
- 310;
- 410) leading from said plurality of light sources, through an atomization means (160;
- 260;
- 360;
- 460) for atomizing a sample containing the element to be detected, to a detection means (130;
- 230;
- 330;
- 430),
- a reference light path (120;
- 220;
- 320;
- 420) leading from said plurality of light sources to the detection means (130;
- 230;
- 330;
- 430),
- a beam splitting means (140;
- 240;
- 340;
- 440) for simultaneously guiding a first component of radiation from said plurality of light sources along the measuring light path (110;
- 210;
- 310;
- 410), and a second component of radiation from said plurality of light sources along the reference light path (120;
- 220;
- 320;
- 420);
- and,
- a control means (190;
- 290;
- 390;
- 490) for time dependently controlling the intensity of each of said plurality of light sources such that each of said plurality of light sources is activated alternately in a predetermined sequence.
Method for performing a double-beam atomic absorption, comprising the steps of:
- providing a plurality of light sources including at least one light source emitting line radiation corresponding to at least one element to be detected and a continuum light source emitting continuum radiation for background correction;
- coupling radiation of said at least one light source into a measuring light path, leading from said plurality of light sources through an atomization means for atomizing a sample containing the element to be detected, to a detecting means,
- coupling of radiation of said at least one light source into a reference light path, leading from said plurality of light sources to the detection means,
- simultaneously measuring the intensity of the radiation passed through the measuring light path and the intensity of the radiation passed through the reference light path,
- determining the radiation absorbed by the atomized sample from the intensity of the radiation passed through the measuring light path and the intensity of the reference light path,
- coupling radiation of a continuum light source into the measuring light path and into the reference light path,
- simultaneously measuring the intensity of the continuum radiation passed through the measuring light path and the intensity of the continuum radiation passed through the reference light path,
- determining the background radiation absorbed by the atomized sample from the intensity of the continuum radiation passed through the measuring light path and the intensity of the continuum radiation passed through the reference light path, and,
- correcting the line radiation absorbed by the sample by means of the background radiation absorbed by the sample.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.