Atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) is a high throughput, easy-to-use, and inexpensive technology primarily used to analyze compounds in solution by applying wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation. AAS is commonly used in flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) and graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS). Relying on the property of individual atoms to differentially absorb radiation wavelengths, this technology has a plethora of applications including in the analysis of water, food and beverages, and pharmaceuticals, as well as in mining operations to determine the percentage of precious metal in rocks.
The Importance of Releasing Agents
In the process of AAS analysis, analytes are first atomized, in which they are stripped from the solvent, volatilized and, if necessary, dissociated into free atoms. This process allows the characteristic wavelengths of each atom to be emitted and recorded later in the process. The atoms are then excited