The Effect of Nebulizer Structure on Flame Emission

Abstract

The emission-producing capabilities of twelve different models of the MEINHARD™ concentric glass nebulizer were evaluated in a flame photometer in an effort to correlate nozzle geometry with emission performance. Signal intensity, stability, and internal consistency within a model were compared. Sensitivity, defined as signal intensity per mL/min sample flow, was also computed and compared. It was expected that relative performances in the flame would provide an index to relative performances in plasma or other emission excitation sources, and results would thus serve as an aid to nebulizer selection for other atomic analytical techniques including ICP. A new nebulizer, the TR-50-K2, generated signals up to 64% higher than those of the TR-30-A3 and up to 25% higher than those of the TR-30-A2 (and TR-50-C1), which produced the highest signals of currently available models.