Discharges within Graphite Furnace Atomizers

In recent years, the concept of using electrical discharges within graphite furnace atomizers as atomization/excitation sources for atomic emission spectrometry has been established and evaluated.(1–31) The excitation in these sources is principally dependent on the discharge and is not a direct result of the electrothermal heating of the furnace. Consequently, this unique concept has been designated furnace atomization nonthermal excitation spectrometry (FANES). This can lead to some confusion since “nonthermal” also implies that the line radiance and profile associated with the discharge do not conform to Maxwell-Boltzmann statistics.(32) While it is certain that the discharge is necessary for excitation, there is considerable uncertainty whether all the discharges described in this chapter can be generally categorized as nonthermal. We shall nevertheless continue to use FANES to describe the concept, bearing in mind the above ambiguity.