Question

Three major spectroscopic methods for elemental analysis atoms are Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy, Atomic Emission Spectroscopy, and Atomic Mass Spectroscopy. Is it necessary to ionize atoms in each of the three methods? Provide the reasoning for each of the three.

Answer 1

Atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS)

It is a spectroanalytical procedure for the quantitative determination of chemical elements using the absorption of optical radiation (light) by free atoms in the gaseous state. In order to analyze a sample for its atomic constituents, it has to be atomized. No ionization of atoms required.

Atomic emmision spectroscopy (AES)

It is a method of chemical analysis that uses the intensity of light emitted from a flame, plasma, arc, or spark at a particular wavelength to determine the quantity of an element in a sample. The wavelength of the atomic spectral line gives the identity of the element while the intensity of the emitted light is proportional to the number of atoms of the element.

Inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) uses an inductively coupled plasma to produce excited atoms and ions that emit electromagnetic radiation at wavelengths characteristic of a particular element.

Atomic Mass Spectroscopy

It is an analytical technique that ionizes chemical species and sorts the ions based on their mass-to-charge ratio. In simpler terms, a mass spectrum measures the masses within a sample. In a typical mass spectroscopy procedure, a sample, which may be solid, liquid, or gas, is ionized