Abstract

Potassium analysis in the part per billion-range in solution by emission flame photometry with an air-acetylene flame should be as routine as sodium analysis in this concentration range.¹ In fact, since K is not as ubiquitous as Na, precautions to avoid spurious contamination of samples should not need to be as stringent. However, conventional flame photometers are generally less sensitive at the detection wave length of 766.5 nm for K. Good photomultiplier tube response at 766.5 nm may require a special tube. In addition, the blaze angle of the grating in a photometer is often set for optimum performance at much lower wave lengths (typically 250 nm). This means that for trace potassium analysis by emission flame photometry on a general purpose instrument, the grating and photo-multiplier tube would have to be changed. A simple modification of a flame photometer was devised to avoid these costly and inconvenient changes.

A Simple Photox Photometer Head

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J. Opt. Soc. Am. 29(1) 35-36 (1939)

The Application of Separated Flames in Analytical Flame Spectroscopy

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Improvement in Routine Analysis with the Beckman I.R. 2 Infra-Red Spectrophotometer by a Slight Mechanical Modification

A. F. Cornu and P. A. Tardy
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 39(7) 613-613 (1949)

Flame analysis using a simple transmission digital holographic interferometer

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Appl. Opt. 60(19) 5623-5628 (2021)

Picosecond degenerate four-wave mixing on potassium in a methane–air flame

M. A. Linne and G. J. Fiechtner
Opt. Lett. 19(9) 667-669 (1994)