Resistance to the Introduction of Solids and Liquids into High-Energy Spectroscopic Sources

One way to improve spectrographic methods is to improve light sources. Flame sources are convenient to use but they often suffer from lack of intensity. In order to get stronger excitation than is ordinarily obtained with a flame, a small water-cooled are chamber was constructed so that an arc could be struck through the aerosol vapor. When the spectrum of the arc was examined, no trace of light from the element in the nebulized spray was found. The method was a failure, as, I suspect, many similar efforts have been in the past. Spark excitation gave a spectrum of the element being nebulized. But even here the intensity was not what would be expected compared to the flame, at least for the alkali and alkaline earth elements.