scope:

This document (CR 10322:2003) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 20 "Methods of chemical analysis of ferrous products", the secretariat of which is held by SIS. Flame atomic absorption spectrometry is playing an increasingly important role in the analysis of iron and steel. However, the quality of results attainable, including the sensitivity, the detection limit and the precision depends not only on the instrument used but also, and markedly, on its optimization. This CEN Report considers the essential features of an atomic absorption system, identifies possible sources of error and gives verification procedures to ensure optimum performance. The Report is intended to be the work of reference during the performance of individual standard methods.