EMISSION CHARACTERISTICS OF A PULSED, RADIOFREQUENCY GLOW-DISCHARGE ATOMIC EMISSION DEVICE

The instrumentation, initial observations, and operating characteristics of a pulsed radio-frequency glow discharge atomic emission source are described. Anomalies in the temporal emission intensity wave forms for some analyte transitions are also reported. These anomalles take the form of a well-defined intensity maximum located either near the beginning of the discharge pulse or just after power termination, depending on the particular transition. Still other analyte transitions demonstrate no such temporal irregularities. Selective, gated, detection of these emission anomalies suggests possible analytical advantages in terms of instantaneous emission intensities, which may translate into improved analytical sensitivities.