Atomic Absorption

Spectrometer
Varian SpectrAA Model 220FS

The Instrument
The instrument consists of:
1.A flame
2.Lamps to produce the correct
wavelength of light
3.A detector
4.A system to aspirate solutions into
the flame
5.A computer to control the experiment

The Instrument
On the left is the flame
(behind the grid) and the
spectrometer. The two
bottles contain water
used for flushing the
tubing and for diluting
solutions that are too
concentrated. The round
object is a pump.
On the right is a cabinet
containing the lamps
shown on a later slide.
The flame, like all large
burners, is vented at the
top.

The Lamps
From bottom to
top, the lamps
are for Mg, Ca, K,
and a
combination of
Fe, Co, Ni, Mn,
Cu, and Cr. Each
element uses a
specific
wavelength of
light.

The Flame
The flame is
with only water
being aspirated.
The two holes,
left and right,
are where the
light beam
enters and
leaves after
passing through
the flame.
The dark place
at the top is a
stain from the

The Instrument
Current spectrometers use a PC Computer to control
the experment.
There needs to be standards (solutions of known
concentration) to calibrate the instrument.
The experiment must be setup in the program
controlling the experiment with
Ions to be analyzed
Concentration of the standards
Number of points to be measured
Wavelength of light
Lamp Position

Measurement - Standards
A set of
standards
ready to be
aspirated
into the
flame. This
instrument
automaticall
y dilutes the
solution.

Aspiration of the Solution Being

Measured
A sample
of maple
syrup
ready to
be
aspirated
into the
flame.

The PC Screen
The solution
being
measured
has an
absorbance
of 0.068
which
corresponds
to a
concentration
of 10.2 ppm

Colors Produced by Different

Ions
The following slides show the colors of
different ions in the flame. The
differences in intensity of the colors
is, in part, due to differences in
concentration.

The Calcium Flame

The
calcium
flame is
red. This
is
intensely
red
because
the
calcium
content
is high.

The Copper Flame

The Potassium Flame

The Manganese Flame

The Cobalt Flame

Results
The computer stores the data which can be
printed.
The experiment can be set up to show the
calibration curve and the concentrations
on the screen. To get reliable
concentrations, the program must be told
what fitting algorithm to use. As can be
seen on the screen shown previously, the
calibration data are not linear in that
instance.