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Determination Lead (Pb) in foodstuffs by Atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) (CAT#: STEM-ST-0163-WXH)

Introduction

Lead poisoning can affect many systems of the body: hematopoietic, vascular, renal, peptic, cardiovascular, immunological, reproductive, gastrointestinal, endocrine, and central nervous systems. High level of intoxication may lead to attacks of abdominal pain until coma and death. Lead is found in the air as fine particles that can pollute aquatic systems, soil and vegetation by settling on them. There is special concern focused on young children because they absorb more lead than adults, and children are more sensitive to the toxic effects of this element.




Principle

Atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) detects elements in either liquid or solid samples through the application of characteristic wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation from a light source.
Atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) is based upon the principle that free atoms in the ground state can absorb light of a certain wavelength. Absorption for each element is specific, no other elements absorb this wavelength.

Applications

Atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) is an easy, high-throughput, and inexpensive technology used primarily to analyze elements in solution. As such, AAS is used in food and beverage, water, clinical research, and pharmaceutical analysis.

Procedure

1. Creating a steady state of freely dissociated ground state atoms using a heat source (flame)
2. Passing light of a specific wavelength through the flame. The wavelength corresponds to the amount of energy required to excite an electron from (typically) the ground to first excited state for a specific element.
3. Measuring the amount of the light absorbed by the atoms as they move to the excited state (the atomic absorption).
4. Using the measured absorbance to calculate the concentration of the element in a solution, based on a calibration graph.

Materials

• Spectrometer
• Radiation sources
• Atomizers
• Atomic absorption
• Spectrophotometer
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