Atomic Emission Characteristics of a Premixed Acetylene–Nitrous Oxide, Total Consumption Flame

It is well known that most of the burners presently used to produce high temperature, premixed flames have the tendency to be discouragingly wasteful of the sample solution, often bringing only a small fraction of the amount used into the flame. This paper reports on the construction and performance of a highly efficient total consumption burner that produces a nonturbulent acetylene-nitrous oxide flame from premixed gases. The eighteen flame emission detection limits tabulated for a select group of elements compare favorably with the best values heretofore reported in the literature, and the apparent freedom of alkaline earth emission from phosphate interference indicates the total consumption flame here described to be less subject to chemical interference than is the conventional diffusion flame. The relatively low cost burner that has been developed is convenient to operate and can be quickly assembled from commercially available components.