kylmähöyryAAS

kylmähöyryAAS, also known as cold steam AAS, refers to a specific technique used in Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS). AAS is an analytical method for determining the concentration of metal elements in a sample. In traditional AAS, samples are typically atomized in a high-temperature flame or by electrothermal heating. kylmähöyryAAS, however, is a modification designed for the sensitive determination of volatile elements, primarily mercury.

The principle behind kylmähöyryAAS involves converting the analyte, usually mercury, into a gaseous state at or near room temperature. This is typically achieved by reducing mercury ions in an acidic solution to elemental mercury using a reducing agent such as stannous chloride or sodium borohydride. The resulting elemental mercury is highly volatile and is then swept from the sample solution into a gas cell positioned within the light path of the AAS instrument.

This cold vapor generation allows for the analysis of mercury at very low concentrations, often in the parts-per-billion (ppb) or even parts-per-trillion (ppt) range. The low background absorption associated with the gaseous phase and the high sensitivity of mercury at its characteristic wavelength (253.7 nm) contribute to the method's effectiveness. kylmähöyryAAS is widely used in environmental monitoring, for example, to measure mercury levels in water, soil, and biological samples, as well as in food safety analysis and clinical diagnostics.