Atomization

Atomization or Atomizer may refer to:

• The making of an aerosol, which is a colloid suspension of fine solid particles or liquid droplets in a gas
• An apparatus using an atomizer nozzle
• Sprays, mists, fogs, clouds and smoke, which appear to be atomized
• A nebulizer, which is a device used to administer medication in the form of a mist inhaled into the lungs
• The conversion of a vaporized sample into atomic components in atomic spectroscopy
• Atomizer Geyser, a cone geyser in Yellowstone National Park
• Atomizer (album), a 1986 album by Big Black
• Atomizer (band), a British synthpop duo
• In fiction, the complete disintegration of a targeted object into the atoms which constitute it is accomplished by shooting it with a disintegrator ray

The difference between a spectrometer or spectrophotometer for atomic absorption or molecular absorption is the need to convert the analyt solution into free atoms. The process of converting an analyt in solid, liquid or solution form to a free gaseous atom is called 'atomisation'. There are two methods for atomisation: flame atomisation electrothermal atomisation

In flame atomisation the sample is first converted into fine mist consisting of small droplets of the solution.This is done using a neubulizer assembly.The sample is aspirated into a spray chamber by passing a high pressure stream consisting of one or more cumbustion gases which are passed at the end of the capillary tube immersed in the sample.The impact of the sample with a glass impact bead produces an aerosol mist.The aerosol mist mixes with cumbust gases in the spray chamber before passing to the burner, where the flame thermal energy desolvates the aerosol mist towards dry aerosol particles. Subsequently, the thermal energy volatiles the particles producing the vapours consisting of molecular and ionic species and free atoms.

Difference between electro thermal atomization and flame atomization

In 'electro thermal atomization', the atom cloud is released into a relatively small volume of gas. In contrast, in flame atomization, the atom cloud is diluted by the high flow rate of gases and by expansion of gases during combustion;

With 'flame atomization', the liquid sample is aspirated into the flame by the venturi effect of the combustion gasses flowing through the burner. The flow of sample into the flame is typically in the range of several milliliters per minute. For this reason, flame AA requires milliliter-sized samples. With furnace atomization, a microliter-sized portion of sample is pipette into a small, open-ended graphite cylinder, which is located in the light beam of the instrument, and the cylinder is then heated by applying a high electrical potential across the cylinder. The vapor cloud thus produced is contained within the cylinder. The result of this method of heating is not only the consumption of much less sample, but the generation of a much more concentrated sample vapor, which translates to much higher sensitivity. The drawbacks of this technology (electro thermal atomization) as currently practiced is that it is more expensive (due mainly to the cost of the graphite tubes), and takes significantly longer to perform an analysis than with flame atomization (minutes versus seconds), and the graphite tubes, which must be replaced relatively frequently, are expensive.

See also

• Enthalpy of atomization
• Atom