Flame photometer
Model 410 Sherwood Scientific

The Sherwood Model 410 Flame photometer directly measures Alkali and Alkaline Earth metals Sodium (Na), Potassium (K), Lithium (Li), Calcium (Ca), Barium (Ba), Caesium (Cs), Rubidium (Rb) and Strontium ( Sr) by means of a low temperature flame using propane, butane or Natural gas. The measurement on the Model 410 Clinical Flame Photometer can be semi automated by means of the Model 805 Clinical Diluter and for clinical samples the ease of use is enhanced by the Lineariser Option which enables results in the clinically significant concentrations to be displayed directly on the Model 410 Clinical Flame Photometer in mmol/l without the need to prepare a standard curve. The Model 805 Clinical Diluter is ideal for diluting such samples and the dilution ratios are 200:1 for serum Na and K and 50:1 for Lithium

The principles of flame emission spectroscopy were first investigated by Kirchoff and Bunsen (1860s). In the 1920s Lundengardh refined the technique by incorporating a nebuliser and electro optical detector which paved the way to modern quantitative analysis.