The effect of atomization temperature on detection limits attained in carbon furnace atomic emission spectrometry is described and discussed. Standard carbon tubes have been modified, to give a maximum tube temperature 370°K higher, by removing 1 mm of the outside of the tube at its center. The dependence of the emission signal on temperature is shown to have an exponential form, and detection limits for 25 elements are reported in both standard and modified tubes. The potential analytical advantages of a purely electrothermal energy source in emission spectroscopy are outlined.
