An atomic absorption spectrophotometer analyzes the concentration of elements in a liquid sample based on energy absorbed from certain wavelengths of light (usually 190 to 900 nm). Atomic absorption spectrophotometers typically include a flame burner to atomize the sample (most commonly a hollow cathode lamp), a monochromator, and a photon detector. Depending on the model, some atomic absorption spectrometers are equipped with a turret or fixed lamp socket that can hold multiple lamps (up to eight) to reduce downtime between samples or allow for sequential analysis. Typical sensitivity for an atomic absorption spectrometer using a flame burner is in the parts per million range. For trace analysis, a graphite furnace can be used in place of a flame burner to increase the sensitivity by several orders of magnitude (in the parts per billion range). Atomic absorption spectrophotometers are used in many industries including environmental testing, metal analysis, semiconductor manufacturing, petroleum and chemical production, and in pharmaceuticals, for example.
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