Atomic emission characteristics of a premixed acetylene-nitrous oxide, total consumption flame.
It is well known that most of the burners presently used to produce high temperature, premixed flames have the tendency to be discouragingly wasteful of the sample solution, often bringing only a small fraction of the amount used into the flame. This paper reports on the construction and performance of a highly efficient total consumption burner that produces a nonturbulent acetylene-nitrous oxide flame from premixed gases. The eighteen flame emission detection limits tabulated for a select group of elements compare favorably with the best values heretofore reported in the literature, and the apparent freedom of alkaline earth emission from phosphate interference indicates the total consumption flame here described to be less subject to chemical interference than is the conventional diffusion flame. The relatively low cost burner that has been developed is convenient to operate and can be quickly assembled from commercially available components.
Dissociation and ionization effects in atomic absorption spectrochemical analysis
Use of a nitrous oxide-acetylene flame in atomic absorption spectrophotometry reduces or eliminates certain chemical interferences that have been observed in cooler flames. However, ionization increases with temperature, and is significant for some elements in the nitrous oxide-acetylene flame. Ionization can be reduced by adding an easily ionized metal (e.g. alkali metal) to the solution. Elements likely to be determined using the nitrous oxide-acetylene flame which will be significantly ionized are: Al, Ba, Ti, V, Zr, Hf, Nb, Sc, Y, the lanthanides and the actinides. The ionization of an element in the nitrous oxide-acetylene flame can be readily calculated by taking absorption readings, provided that relatively sensitive atom and ion resonance lines are available. This technique possibly could be used to establish ionization potentials or partition functions of those lanthanide elements that are not now well known.
17 &mgr;m pixel 640 x 480 microbolometer FPA development at BAE Systems
BAE Systems has developed an advanced 640 x 480 focal plane array (FPA) with a 17 &mgr;m pixel pitch. Sensitivity of ≤ 50 mK was demonstrated and the FPAs were used in imaging demonstrations. Successful scaling of BAE Systems' patented single contact per pixel, single-level microbolometer process to 17 &mgr;m pitch provides a path toward next generation microbolometer imaging systems.