atomic absorption spectrophotometry

noun

: a method of spectrophotometry that relies on the absorption of specific frequencies of light by atoms in order to identify the chemical composition of a sample

… the venerable technique of emission spectrometry has been overshadowed in recent years by rapid advances in the related field of atomic absorption spectrophotometry.

—Chemical & Engineering News, 19 Mar. 1979

called also absorption spectrophotometry

Word History

First Known Use

1961, in the meaning defined above

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