Atomic Spectrometry and Vapor Generation for Trace Element Analysis
This research community develops and refines optical and mass spectrometric techniques to measure trace levels of metals and metalloids in complex samples, primarily using plasma-based excitation and chemical vapor generation methods.
The work centers on inductively coupled plasma (ICP) systems, including mass spectrometry and optical emission spectrometry, coupled with various vapor generation techniques such as photochemical, hydride, and dielectric barrier discharge methods. Recurring applications involve the sensitive determination of specific elements like mercury, arsenic, germanium, and lead in diverse matrices, including water, biological tissues, and environmental samples. The literature frequently addresses the optimization of these detection limits and the development of portable or miniaturized devices for field analysis, with a strong emphasis on reducing spectral interferences and improving sample preparation efficiency through chemical derivatization.
The community’s output is most concentrated in research on Germanium, where it represents 0.9% of all tracked Germanium studies, and Argon, where it accounts for 0.9% of Argon research. It also holds a significant share of Arsenic research, comprising 0.7% of that element’s total tracked papers.
The community comprises 13,240 papers, published predominantly in Spectrochimica Acta Part B: Atomic Spectroscopy, the Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry, and Analytical Chemistry.
Recent work continues to focus on the sensitive determination of elements such as selenium, rhenium, and bismuth using advanced photochemical vapor generation and atomic fluorescence spectrometry, alongside the development of miniaturized optical emission spectrometers for high-performance elemental detection.