Atomic spectrometry update. Advances in atomic emission, absorption and fluorescence spectrometry, and related techniques

This review covers a relatively mature area of atomic spectrometry, hence there are fewer new developments than in other research fields. The review should be read in conjunction with the previous year's review(1) and with other related reviews in the series.(2-6) Over the last several years the research emphasis has shifted from novel developments to more routine applications. A plethora of methods have been developed for the preconcentration and separation of analyte and matrix prior to sample introduction. Some novel fundamental studies of plasmas have been published, and new research in the area of laser induced breakdown spectroscopy is still appearing, perhaps reflecting the status of a technique which is always on the verge of "arriving'' in the mainstream. The flurry of activity generated by the widespread commercialisation of simultaneous solid-state atomic emission detectors has diminished, particularly for chemometrics and transient signal analysis. The only other major area of novelty is that of speciation analysis using coupled techniques, and even this has moved towards more routine applications.