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Compact glow discharge for the elemental analysis of aqueous samples
Michael R Webb1, Francisco J Andrade, Gary M Hieftje
1Department of Chemistry, Indiana University, 800 East Kirkwood Avenue, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, USA.
Analytical Chemistry
|September 11, 2007
Summary
Atmospheric pressure glow discharges can now analyze liquids without vacuum equipment. A new design significantly improves detection limits for metals to sub-part per billion levels.
Area of Science:
- Analytical Chemistry
- Atomic Spectroscopy
- Plasma Physics
Background:
- Glow discharge sources offer analytical advantages but are unsuitable for liquid samples.
- Recent advancements include atmospheric pressure glow discharges for liquid analysis, using the solution as an electrode.
- These methods avoid vacuum systems and maintain low power requirements.
Purpose of the Study:
- Introduce a modified glow discharge source design for liquid analysis.
- Evaluate the analytical performance of the new design.
- Improve detection limits for elemental analysis in solutions.
Main Methods:
- A modified atmospheric pressure glow discharge source was developed.
- The discharge volume was reduced by nearly 5-fold (to 2 mm³).
- This resulted in a corresponding increase in power density.
Main Results:
- The modified glow discharge source demonstrated significantly improved analytical performance.
- Detection limits for various metals were substantially lowered.
- Most metal detection limits achieved single and sub-part per billion ranges.
Conclusions:
- The reduced-volume, high-power-density glow discharge is effective for liquid sample analysis.
- This advancement offers highly sensitive elemental detection without vacuum requirements.
- The new design broadens the applicability of glow discharge atomic emission spectrometry for solutions.
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