Hii! I have a question: So the flame photometer uses a natural gas flame (1800 oC), what if it uses acetylene - nitrous oxide flame which is ~3000 oC, what would happen to the emission intensities?
Thanks!
It depends upon what atomic or ionic lines the photometer is looking at, and what is added to the flame. Generally speaking, a hotter flame will be brighter, but not at all wavelengths. Ion lines will tend to be favored over neutral atomic lines at higher temperature.
Hi! If a flame photometer uses an acetylene-nitrous oxide flame instead of a natural gas flame, which has a higher temperature of about 3000 °C compared to 1800 °C, there would be certain effects on the emission intensities.
The emission intensity in a flame photometer is directly related to the temperature of the flame. Higher temperatures generally result in higher emission intensities. So, if the flame temperature increases from 1800 °C to 3000 °C, it is likely that the emission intensities measured by the photometer will also increase.
The increase in temperature causes more efficient atomization and excitation of the sample being analyzed. This leads to greater emission of light from the excited atoms or ions in the flame, resulting in higher emission intensities.
However, it is important to note that the relationship between flame temperature and emission intensity is not linear. Beyond a certain temperature, called the excitation temperature, further increases in flame temperature may not significantly increase the emission intensities. This is because at very high temperatures, other factors such as ionization effects can come into play and impact the emission characteristics.
To measure the exact impact of using an acetylene-nitrous oxide flame instead of a natural gas flame, it would be ideal to perform an experiment or consult specific information related to the flame photometer model being used. Different instruments may have specific characteristics and limitations that can affect the measured emission intensities.
I hope this explanation helps! Let me know if you have any further questions.