THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL LIMITS IN ATOMIC SPECTROSCOPY PLENARY LECTURE

Theoretical expressions are given for the efficiency of detection and the efficiency of measurement for several atomic methods, including at omic absorption, atomic emission, atomic ionization, atomic fluorescen ce, and mass spectrometry, where flames, plasmas and furnaces are used to produce atoms or ions and in some cases excited atoms and ions. Th ese unique expressions are then used with noise expressions to develop detection limit expressions. Assuming reasonable values of instrument al and spectroscopic parameters, efficiencies of detection and measure ment and detection limit of atoms in the sample are estimated to withi n an order of magnitude. Several methods have the capability of being single atom measurement approaches, and therefore potentially useful f or atom counting. Considerable discussion of noise sources and a compa rison of atomic methods with respect to a variety of analytical figure s of merit are given. The present fundamental approach is used to pred ict the future potential of various atomic methods.