page_title: Analytical nebulizer
section_title: Concentric nebulizers
hierarchical_section_title: Analytical nebulizer / Nebulizer designs / Induction nebulizers / Concentric nebulizers
caption_attribution_description: English: PFA nebulizer Italiano: Nebulizzatore in PFA
context_page_description: The general term nebulizer refers to an apparatus that converts liquids into a fine mist. Nozzles also convert liquids into a fine mist, but do so by pressure through small holes. Nebulizers generally use gas flows to deliver the mist. The most common form of nebulizers are medical appliances such as asthma inhalers or paint spray cans. Analytical nebulizers are a special category in that their purpose is to deliver a fine mist to spectrometric instruments for elemental analysis. They are necessary parts of inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, and atomic absorption spectroscopy.
context_section_description: Concentric nebulizers have a central capillary with the liquid and an outer capillary with the gas. The gas draws the liquid into the gas stream through induction, and the liquid is broken into a fine mist as it moves into the gas stream. In theory, the gas and liquid may be switched with the gas in the center and the liquid in the outer capillary, but generally they work better with the gas outside and the liquid inside. The first Canadian concentric patent was Canadian Patent #2405 of April 18, 1873. It was designed to deliver a better spray of oil into a burner. The design is larger but essentially the same as modern analytical nebulizers. The first one developed for spectrometers was a glass design developed by Dr. Meinhard of California in 1973. His design enabled early ICP users to have a consistent sample introduction nebulizer, but it plugged easily. Today many companies produce glass concentrics, and since 1997, Teflon concentrics have become available.
caption: A teflon PFA concentric nebulizer.
exif: {}