Safety Practices and Hazards
20 Agilent 240/280 Series AA (including Zeeman)
Nebulizer
Incorrect assembly and fitting of nebulizers to an atomic absorption spectrometer
can create explosion hazards and fire hazards that can cause serious injury to
personnel and damage to equipment and property.
Ensure that the nebulizer is correctly assembled and correctly fitted to the spray
chamber before lighting the flame. Nebulizers should be correctly adjusted before
lighting the flame.
Never remove a nebulizer from the spray chamber while the flame is on, and do
not use a mechanical device (for example, a wire) to clean the capillary of a
nebulizer while a flame is operating. Always extinguish the flame before removing
the nebulizer from the spray chamber.
Regularly test all connections for leaks. Rectify all leaks before lighting the flame.
Liquid trap
Improper use of the liquid trap can create explosion hazards, fire hazards, and
toxic vapor hazards that can result in death or serious personal injury.
The liquid trap interlock is incorporated to minimize the possibility of attempting to
operate the instrument with an empty trap or with the drain tube missing. Never
interfere with this interlock. Never attempt to bypass this interlock.
Always fill the liquid trap with the same solvent that is being used for your
samples.
The trap is designed to provide a liquid seal under all normal conditions with
solutions having a specific gravity greater than 0.75. Never use a solution or
solvent having a specific gravity lower than 0.75, otherwise the liquid seal can be
breached. This can create a flashback and create an explosion hazard or a fire
hazard.
A length of tubing must be connected to the drain outlet on the trap and led to a
suitable waste vessel. The free end of the tubing must remain above the liquid in
the waste vessel. Do not use glass waste vessels—use vessels made of a material
that will not shatter in the event of a flashback.
A length of tubing should be connected to the vapor vent (the upper nipple) on the
liquid trap when you are analyzing organic or toxic liquids. This tubing should be
led out from the sample compartment, parallel to the drain tubing, and must slope
downwards to enable any liquid overflow to drain out and prevent the tubing from
becoming blocked. Do not lead the vapor tubing to the waste vessel. If necessary,
an active exhaust system should be used to draw away toxic vapors. If you are not
analyzing solutions of a toxic nature, leave the vapor outlet uncovered.
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