Analytical lines for atomic spectroscopy
Resonance lines used in flame emission and atomic absorption: excitation energy, the excited fraction at 2500 K (air–acetylene flame) and 6000 K (ICP), and the Doppler width at 2500 K — all computed from the line wavelength.
| Na | 589.300 | 3s ²S₁/₂ – 3p ²P (D₁ 589.592, D₂ 588.995) | 2.104 | 1.72 × 10⁻⁴ | 0.0513 | 4.40 | flame emission (flame photometer), AAS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K | 767.600 | 4s ²S₁/₂ – 4p ²P (766.490, 769.896) | 1.615 | 0.00166 | 0.132 | 4.40 | flame emission, AAS |
| Li | 670.780 | 2s ²S₁/₂ – 2p ²P (670.776, 670.791) | 1.848 | 5.64 × 10⁻⁴ | 0.0841 | 9.12 | flame emission (lithium therapy monitoring) |
| Ca | 422.673 | 4s² ¹S₀ – 4s4p ¹P₁ | 2.933 | 3.66 × 10⁻⁶ | 0.0103 | 2.39 | AAS (lanthanum added against phosphate) |
| Mg | 285.213 | 3s² ¹S₀ – 3s3p ¹P₁ | 4.347 | 5.17 × 10⁻⁹ | 6.69 × 10⁻⁴ | 2.07 | AAS |
| Cu | 324.754 | 4s ²S₁/₂ – 4p ²P₃/₂ | 3.818 | 4.02 × 10⁻⁸ | 0.00124 | 1.46 | AAS |
| Zn | 213.857 | 4s² ¹S₀ – 4s4p ¹P₁ | 5.798 | 6.16 × 10⁻¹² | 4.05 × 10⁻⁵ | 0.95 | AAS (emission is hopeless) |
| Cd | 228.802 | 5s² ¹S₀ – 5s5p ¹P₁ | 5.419 | 3.57 × 10⁻¹¹ | 8.42 × 10⁻⁵ | 0.77 | AAS, graphite furnace |
| Pb | 283.305 | 6p² ³P₀ – 6p7s ³P₁ | 4.376 | 4.52 × 10⁻⁹ | 6.33 × 10⁻⁴ | 0.70 | AAS, graphite furnace |
Excited fraction N₁/N₀ = (g₁/g₀)e^(−ΔE/kT); for the alkali doublets the whole ²P term (g = 6) is counted against the ²S ground state (g = 2). It assumes local thermal equilibrium and ignores ionisation.