Atomic Spectroscopy - A Guide to Selecting the Appropriate Technique and System

Introduction

Atomic spectroscopy is a family of techniques for determining the elemental composition of an analyte by its electromagnetic or mass spectrum. Several analytical techniques are available:

Atomic absorption (AA): flame and graphite furnace
Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES)
Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS)
And selecting the most appropriate one is the key to achieving accurate, reliable, real-world results.

This guide provides a basic overview of the most commonly used techniques and the information necessary to help you select the one that best suits your specific needs and applications.