Spectro Spectroblue ICP-OES spectrometer

The Spectroblue, for inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), was designed to meet critical elemental analysis demands such as those required by environmental laboratories, process laboratories and research institutes.

The Spectroblue ICP-OES employs a Paschen-Runge optical system which covers a wide wavelength range (165-770 nm) while offering good resolution and reducing stray light. The patented OPI-AIR, in combination with the UV-PLUS, decreases operating cost as there is no need for cooling water or purge gas.

The product’s sealed optic system and UV-PLUS approach eliminates consumable purge gases and ensures long-term stability. Additionally, Spectro’s high-resolution Paschen-Runge optic permits a direct, high-luminance light path, allowing the system to easily process line-rich spectra, improve measurement accuracy and reduce rework.

The OPI-AIR eliminates the cool region of the plasma, allowing for an unobstructed view of the normal analytical zone (NAZ) - no compressed air or gases are required to cut off the tail plume. The OPI-AIR interface is said to offer six times greater sensitivity improvement (ppb and sub-ppb detection levels) and better elimination of matrix effects compared to conventional techniques.

The free-running RF generator is simple in design (no moving parts), has high efficiency (better than 70%), a huge amount of reserve power (up to 5 kW) and requires no water cooling. This means that the plasma is stable, even with varying plasma loads. The system can handle volatile organic solvents and high salt loads (eg, 200 g of NaCl/L).

The instrument achieves a constant resolution of 8.5 pm between the important wavelength range of 165-285 nm and 15 pm between 285-770 nm. This resolution helps to achieve good signal-to-background ratios, which translates into better detection limits and also helps with less interference in spectral-rich matrices such as wastewater.