Without Making a Detour: Direct Analysis of Solids – An Intelligent Innovation Pushes Back Limits

With the High-Resolution Continuum Source AAS, the direct analysis of solids by AAS has now become a real alternative for many applications. The user is no longer limited to trace analysis, because insensitive lines can also be used without problems. Moreover, the method overcomes the limits of Zeeman AAS with respect to background correction.

Equipped with a novel liquid dosing module, allowing automated calibration out of a stock solution and modifier addition, direct solids analysis becomes a powerful tool for research as well as routine tasks.

Depending on the application, different systems are available, such as a manual or fully automated sampler with an integrated microbalance, thereby expanding the basic instrument.

In combination with the new various solid sampler, the AAS instruments made by Analytik Jena (novAA®, ZEEnit, contrAA®) are able to analyse solid samples directly without dissolution. The time-consuming sample preparation and the danger of contamination and loss of material to be analysed are reduced to a minimum. The sample only has to be comminuted and optionally homogenised and can than be analysed directly. The samples are measured out by hand on reusable graphite platforms. The robot arm of the sampler transports the platform to the integrated microbalance. Subsequently, modifier solutions and standard solutions or other reagents are added automatically and the sample is transported into the graphite furnace. After the measurement, the platform is immediately ready for the next sample.

Due to the fully automatic measurement of up to 84 samples, the sampler makes a high throughput of samples possible.
This system allows routine solid AAS. Due to the high degree of automation and the simple handling, the solids sampler is suitable for rapid routine analysis in an industrial environment. However, the instrument is also used in the clinical area and in research.

Analytical advantages include: analysis of the unadulterated original samples; no time-consuming sample digestion; no dilution with environmentally-hazardous reagents; minimised danger of contamination; high sensitivity; true microquantity method.