| Abstract | Electrothermal vaporization (ETV) devices have proven to be useful for introduction of microamounts of solid and liquid analyte into the inductively coupled plasma (ICP), microwave-induced plasma (MIP), and direct-current plasma (DCP) for multielement analyses. Several applications have recently been reported. Trace element analyte characterization studies with ETV-ICP/ MIP/DCP systems inevitably involve the application of a specialized sample introduction configuration. Most introduction schemes rely on formation of an aerosol of the analyte to introduce gaseous samples in a discrete mode. In general, such a system consists of the electro-thermal vaporizer, aerosol transport interface, and plasma emission source (ICP, MIP, or DCP). Ideally, these devices should be simple and efficient, introduce reproducible amounts of analyte without losses, and produce no memory effects. In addition, the aerosol from the graphite furnace should be introduced directly into the plasma without any intervening tubing or connectors. In this way analyte loss, peak broadening, and tailing are minimized, as the analytes are detected immediately upon leaving the graphite furnace. In practice, however, this is not usually feasible, and the graphite furnace is connected to the plasma by means of a short (as possible) length of tubing. |
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