The development of the nitrous oxide-acetylene flame for atomic absorption spectroscopy — a personal account

摘要

Some time ago I decided to try to write an account of the development of the nitrous oxide-acetylene flame for use in atomic absorption spectroscopy, chiefly to help clarify in my own mind the sequence of events and the interactions I had with other workers in the field of high-temperature flames in the 1960s. I mentioned this to Walter Slavin, who expressed his interest in the project and in seeing the results of my efforts. When I sent him the final version in August 1996, he asked me to submit itfor publication as a Historical Review in Spectfochimica Acta. It was with some diffidence that I agreed to do so: the account was written for my own interest and not for publication, and I felt that its informal and somewhat anecdotal style might not beappropriate for a scientific journal. Furthermore, many of the literature references are to internal reports of the CSIRO Division of Chemical Physics, which are not readily accessible to most people. I leave it to the reader to judge the value and interest of this review.