It is also possible to have chemical processes that interfere with atomic absorption and emission measurements. It is important to realize that the chemical interferences described herein can potentially occur in flame, furnace and plasma devices. One example of a chemical interference occurs for metal complexes that have low volatility. These are often difficult to analyze at trace concentrations because the atomization efficiency is reduced to unacceptably low levels.
Flame noise, spectral interferences and chemical interferences are all examples of matrix effects. Atomic methods are among the most sensitive of all analysis methods to matrix effects. The previous sections have described ways of trying to account for the possibility of some types of matrix effects. Even with these methods, there is still the possibility that some aspect of the matrix either enhances or decreases the signal measured at the detector.