Correction of Physical Interference in a Nebulizer for Atomic Absorption Spectrometry Using the Fraunhofer Diffraction

Abstract

The Fraunhofer diffraction of laser radiation by droplets has been applied to the correction of the physical interference which is often encountered in a nebulizer used for atomic ab sorption spectrometry (AAS). In this study the systematic errors found in previous study are minimized by narrowing the laser beam and estimating more correctly the net back ground intensity included in the diffraction image. By this modification, the correction of the physical interference of viscous H2SO4 in the AAS determination of Cu is successfully made at concentrations of up to 4 M H2SO4.