What is an ICP-OES spectrometer used for? Used to analyze the composition of substances. To achieve this, a spectrometer essentially converts a sample solution into light… …and then converts that light into the desired data. To accurately determine the elemental content in a sample solution, we place the sample into an extremely hot plasma within a spectrometer. When the sample is heated and dissociated into atoms and ions, they emit light. The spectrometer optics capture this light and disperse it into individual spectral lines. The intensity of this light is usually related to the concentration of a given element in the sample. This is the key to the analysis. By precisely measuring the intensity of light, we can determine which elements are present in a sample and in what amounts. Now, let’s take a top-of-the-line ICP-OES spectrometer, such as the SPECTRO ARCOS, as an example. Let's analyze its working principle step by step: The sample solution is sucked into the peristaltic pump. In the nebulizer, it is converted into an aerosol. In the spray chamber, larger droplets are expelled. Smaller droplets are carried into the hot plasma. In the plasma, the sample aerosol evaporates and the outer electrons of its atoms and ions become excited… …which causes them to emit light at a characteristic wavelength. The light is transmitted to a high-resolution, purge-free, sealed optical system… …which disperses the light into wavelengths specific to the element being measured. When these wavelengths of light reach the detector array, each specific wavelength of light and its intensity are recorded. A sophisticated software system converts them into concentrations of specific elements. Therefore, the secrets of a sample—which elements it contains and in what exact quantities— are known to us with precision. Although these processes are complex, the results are very accurate. As a high-end basic instrument, the reliable results made the new generation of ICP-OES spectrometers like the SPECTRO ARCOS very suitable for use in high-load laboratories.