Analytical nebulizer

The general term nebulizer refers to an apparatus that converts liquids into a fine 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.

This type of work plays an important role in areas of pharmaceutical and clinical study, biological, environmental and agricultural assessment and petroleum testing.

In all pneumatic induction nebulizers, the suction near the orifice is utilized to draw the liquid into the gas jet.

[2] His design enabled early ICP users to have a consistent sample introduction nebulizer, but it plugged easily.

The benefit of a cross flow is that the liquid capillary have a larger inside diameter allowing for more particles to pass through without plugging the nebulizer.

At the tip of the nebulizer, the liquid is pulled into the gas stream and then dispersed into the chamber as a mist.

The Burgener Mira Mist nebulizers are the main products using the Enhanced Parallel Path method.

[5] This means that there is a turbulent mixing of the liquid and gas which results in great sensitivity and is very efficient.

The development of analytical nebulizers since the introduction of the ICP / ICP-MS is seen below:[6] 1970s Adjustable Cross flow (US patent #4,344,574)[7] 1974 Meinhard Concentric 1978 V-groove (by Suddendorf and Boyer) (US Patent #4,206,160)[8] 1980 Pillar and Post (by Garbarino and Taylor) 1983 GMK Nebulizer: Glass Babington V-groove 1983 Meinhard C-type nebulizer 1983 Precision glassblowing (similar to Minehard A-type) 1983 Jarrell Ash (Thermo) Sapphire V-groove 1983 Meddings' MAK: glass fixed cross flow 1984 Meinhard K-type: recessed inner capillary 1984 Glass Expansion begins making ICP glassware 1985 Burgener-Legere – first commercial teflon nebulizer – V-groove – no adjustable parts 1986 Direct injection micro nebulizer by Fassel, Rice & Lawrence (US patent #4,575,609)[9] 1986 Hildebrand Grid nebulizer Late 1980s Perkin Elmer Gem Tip cross flow 1988 CETAC Ultrasonic Nebs 1980s Cyclonic chambers 1987 Glass Expansion's first neb – the VeeSpray (ceramic V-groove) 1989 Glass Expansion first concentric – the Conikal (machined instead of glass blown) 1989 Noordermeer Glass V Groove (US patent #4,880,164)[10] 1992 Glass Expansion – non salting Sea Spray 1993 Modified Lichte Glass V-Groove 1993 Burgener BTF – first Parallel Path Neb (US patent #5,411,208)[11] 1994–1995 Main Burgener Parallel Path Nebs – BTS 50, BTN & T2002 Mid 1990s Perkin Elmer GemCone: Miniature V-Groove With the introduction of the ICP-MS to the laboratory, the creation of micro nebulizers became a priority in order to deliver smaller amounts of sample at lower flow rates.

1993 The Meinhard HEN (high efficiency nebulizer) was produced which handled very low flow rates but salted and plugged easily as a result.

(25 times less sample than a standard Meinhard) 1997 Cetac Microconcentric Nebulizer – first Teflon concentric 50, 100, 200 or 400 μL/min 1997 Meinhard Direct Injection HEN – (DIHEN) (US Patent #6,166,379)[12] 1999 Elemental Scientific – PFA Concentric Nebs 20, 50, 100 or 400 μL/min 1999 Burgener Micro 1: Parallel Path 2000 Burgener Micro 3: Parallel Path 2001 Burgener Mira Mist: First Enhanced Parallel Path Nebulizer (US patent #6,634,572)[13] 2004 Epond Typhoon: Glass Concentric 2005 Ingeniatrics OneNeb: Flow Blurring Technology 2010 Epond Lucida: Teflon Micro Concentric 2012 Burgener PFA 250: PFA Micro flow Enhanced Parallel Path Nebulizer 2010 – 2013 Meinhard and Glass Expansion: Significant improvements in attachments and designs of glass concentrics.