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Nature 455, 1185-1186 (30 October 2008) | doi:10.1038/4551185a; Published online 29 October 2008
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Analytical chemistry: Plasma bubbles detect elements
José A. C. Broekaert1
Abstract
Bunsen didn't just invent the burner — he also worked on spectral analysis, in which compounds are heated in flames to produce distinctive light emissions. The latest device replaces flames with microplasmas.
Budding chemists have long enjoyed high-school experiments in which metal salts are heated in a flame to produce distinctive colours: lilac for potassium, intense yellow for sodium, brick red for calcium, and so on. But metal salts also produce distinctive colours when placed in a plasma.
- José A. C. Broekaert is in the Department of Chemistry, University of Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 6, D-20146 Hamburg, Germany.
Email: jose.broekaert@chemie.uni-hamburg.de
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