The Atomic Spectrometry Detector for Flow Injection Analysis

Julian Tyson

Abstract

The distinction between liquid chromatography and flow injection analysis is discussed in terms of the underlyingconcepts, the performance characteristics and the hardware involved. For the last aspect, attention is focused on therole of the detector and the development of spectroscopic detectors for these techniques is discussed. The limitations ofatomic spectrometric detectors are discussed for the three most widely used techniques, flame atomic absorptionspectrometry, plasma spectrometry and electrothermal atomisation atomic absorption spectrometry, and the recentliterature concerned with the use of these techniques for chromatographic detectors is summarized. The use offlow-injecti􀂗n methods to extend the capabilities of the techniques, particularly as far as detection limits and matrixinterferences are concerned, is discussed. These topics are illustrated by a detailed review of relevant papers from 1988and 1989. It is concluded that there is a considerable sustained research effort in this field.