Burner/Nebulizer
A – Burner
B – Nebulizer
C – Rotational Adjust Knob
D – Horizontal Adjust Knob
E – Vertical Adjust Knob
The most common method to break chemical bonds to produce ground-state atoms is the flame atomizer. The flame system components include a burner and a nebulizer. The flame is generated in the burner where combustion occurs and an atomic vapor of the element to be analyzed is produced. The nebulizer, which may be pneumatic or ultrasonic, converts sample solution into a fine mist or aerosol that is fed to the flame. The nebulizer is a device operating on the principle of a scent or paint spray. Today, most of the burners used are those of long-slot designed burning premixed fuel and oxidant gases and fitted with a pneumatic nebulizer. The selection of the flame is important for complete atomization and to avoid ionization. When the flame temperature is too low, atomization will be incomplete since the flame cannot supply sufficient energy to dissociate the compounds in the sample. On the other hand, if the flame temperature is too high, the atoms formed may be ionized reducing the number of atoms present.