Question

Why can an atomic absorption spectrometer be so specific for one element? Explain the theory and the parts of the spectrometer that make the measurement specific for one element.

Answer 1

Each element has its own characteristic absorption wavelengths due to quantization of the energy values which it can absorb. Upon exposure to an atomic absorption spectrometer's light, these wavelengths are very specifically absorbed by the atom and the spectrum of wavelengths other than these are screened by the instrument. Upon the analysis of the missing wavelengths from the remaining spectrum, the instrument is able to very specifically identify the element. Because each element has very unique and specific quantized values of the absorbed wavelengths, the atomic absorption spectrometer is able to operate in a highly specific manner, to each element.