Improvement of detection limits in flow injection analysis

Summary When using a conventional UV/VIS-Spectrophotometer with a large sample compartment as a detector for FIA, flow cells with longer pathlengths can be applied. Despite of a unavoidable band broadening a significant improvement of detection limit can be achieved compared to standard cells. Band broadening is compensated by slight modifications of the manifold, so that the dispersion is in the same range for long path cells and standard flow cells. With a 5 cm flow cell phosphate can be detected down to 0.005 mg/l P.