JOURNAL OF ANALYTICAL ATOMIC SPECTROMETRY INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS The Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry (JAAS) is an international journal for the publication of original research papers communications and letters concerned with the development and analytical application of atomic spectro- metric techniques. The journal is published monthly and also includes compre- hensive reviews on specific topics of interest to practising atomic spectroscopists and incorporates the literature reviews which were previously published in Annual Reports on Analytical Atomic Spectroscopy (ARAAS). Additional Special Conference Issues are also published. Manuscripts intended for publication as papers or communications must describe original work related to atomic spectrometric analysis. Papers on all aspects of the subject will be accepted including fundamental studies novel instrument developments and practical analytical applications. As well as atomic absorption atomic emission and atomic fluorescence spectrometry papers will be welcomed on atomic mass spectrometry X-ray fluorescence/emission spec- trometry and secondary emission spectrometry.Papers describing the rneasure- ment of molecular species where these relate to the characterization of sources normally used for the production of atoms or concerning for example indirect methods of analyses will also be acceptable for publication. Papers describing the development and applications of hybrid techniques involving atomic spec- trometry (e.g. GC coupled AAS and HPLC-ICP) will be particularly welcome.Manuscripts on other subjects of direct interest to atomic spectroscopists including sample preparation and dissolution and analyte preconcentration procedures as well as the statistical interpretation and use of atomic spectro- metric data will also be acceptable for publication. Although short articles are acceptable the Society strongly discourages fragmentation of a substantial body of work into a number of short publications. Unnecessary fragmentation will be a valid reason for rejection of manuscripts. There is no page charge for papers published in JAAS. The following types of papers will be considered. Original research papers. Communications which must be on an urgent matter and be of obvious scientific importance. Rapidity of publication is enhanced if diagrams are omitted but tables and formulae may be included.Communications receive priority and are usually published within 2-3 months of receipt. They are intended for brief descriptions of work that has progressed to a stage at which it is likely to be valuable to workers faced with similar problems. A fuller paper may be offered subsequently if justified by later work. Although publication is at the discretion of the Editor communications will be examined by at least one referee. Reviews which must be a critical evaluation of the existing state of knowledge on a particular facet of analytical chemistry. However original work may be included. Simple literature surveys will not be accepted for publication. It is desirable that potential review writers should contact the Editor before embarking on their work.Copyright. The whole of the literary matter (including tables figures diagrams and photographs) in JAAS is Royal Society of Chemistry copyright and may not be reproduced without permission from the Society or such other owner of the copyright as may be indicated. Papers that are accepted must not be published elsewbere except by permission. Submission of a manuscript will be regarded as an undertaking that the same material is not being considered for publication by another journal in any language. All authors submitting work for publication are required to sign an exclusive copyright licence. All submissions should be accompanied by a completed form (a blank for photocopying is reproduced at the end of these instructions) without which publication cannot proceed.US Associate Editor. Papers from North America can be submitted to Dr. J. M. Hardy US Department of Agriculture Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center BLDG 161 BARC-EAST Beltsville MD 20705 USA. Manuscripts. Papers should be typewritten in double spacing on one side only of the paper. Copies of any related relevant unpublished material and raw data should be made available on request. Each table and illustration should be on a separate sheet at the end of the text; three copies of text and illustrations should be sent to the Editor JAAS "be Royal Society of Chemistry Thomas Graham House Science Park Milton Road Cambridge CB44WF or directly to the US Associate Editor and a further copy retained by the author.Administration and Publication Procedure. Receipt of a contribution for consideration will be acknowledged immediately by the Editorial Office. The acknowledgement will indicate the paper reference number assigned to the contribution. Authors are particularly asked to quote this number on all subsequent correspondence. All papers (including conference presentations submitted for special issues) are sent simultaneously to at least two referees whose names are not disclosed to the authors. On the basis of the referees' reports the Editor decides whether the paper is suitable for publication either unchanged or after appropriate revision. This decision and relevant comments of the referees are communicated to the author. Differences of opinion are mediated by the Editor possibly after consultation with further referees or in the last resort by the Editorial Board. When rejection of a paper is recommended the Editor informs the author and returns the top copy of the manuscript.Authors have the right to appeal to the Editorial Board if they regard a decision to reject as unfair. Authors will receive formal notification when papers are accepted for publication. Proofs. The address to which proofs are to be sent should accompany the paper. Proofs should be carefully checked and returned immediately (by first class mail air mail express mail or fax). Particular attention should be paid to numerical data both in the tables and text. Offprints. Fifty offprints of each paper are supplied free. Notes on the Writing of Papers for JAAS Manuscripts should be in accordance with the style and usage shown in recent copies of JAAS.Conciseness of expression is expected clarity is increased by adopting a logical order of presentation with suitable paragraph or section headings. Spellings should be in accordance with the Oxford English Dictionary. To facilitate abstracting and indexing by Chemical Abstracts Service and other abstracting organizations it would be helpful if at least one forename could be included with each author's family name. The corresponding author should be clearly indicated. accuracy precision and selectivity. Descriptions of methods should be supported by experimental results showing The recommended order of presentation is as indicated below (a) Title. This should be as brief as is consistent with an adequate indication of the original features of the work.The title should usually include the analyte being determined or identified the matrix and the analytical method used. (b) Summary. A summary of about 250 words giving the salient features and drawing attention to the novel aspects should be provided for all papers. It should be essentially independent of the main text and include relevant quantitative information such as detection limits precision and accuracy data. (c) Keywords. Up to five keywords or key phrases indicating the topics of importance in the work described should be included after the summary. ( d ) Aim of investigation. A concise introductory statement of the novel features of the work and the object of the investigation with any essential historical background followed if necessary by a brief account of preliminary experimental work with relevant references.Description of the experimental procedures. Working details must be given concisely. Analytical procedures should be given in the form of instructions; we1 known operations should not be described in detail. Suppliers of equipment and materials and their locations should be mentioned. 67(A Results and Discussion Results are best presented in tabular or diagram- matic form (but not both for the same results) followed by an appropriate statistical evaluation which should be in accordance with accepted practice. For example a new procedure for multi-element determinations which produced results for which the concentration of 8 out of 10 of the elements determined in a standard reference material were statistically indistinguish- able from the certificate values should be described in those terms and not referred to as ‘excellent agreement’.This is particularly important in the summary. Any discussion should comment on the scope of the method and its validity followed by a statement of any conclusions drawn from the work. A separate conclusions section is not encouraged but if included it should not simply duplicate statements in the discussion. ( g ) Acknowledgements. Contributions other than co-authors companies or sponsors may be acknowledged in a separate paragraph at the end of the paper. Titles may be given but not degrees. (h) References. References should be numbered serially in the text by means of superscript figures e.g.Foote and Delves,’ Burns et al? or .... in a recent - - - paper ...3 and collected in numerical order under ‘References’ at the end of the paper. They should be listed with all the authors’ names and initials in the following form (double-spaced typing) Yerian T. D. Christian G. D. and REiEka J. Analyst 1986 111 865. Sharp B. L. Barnett N. W. Burridge J. C. Littlejohn D. and Tyson J. F. J. Anal. At. Spectrom. 1988 3 133R. Committee for Analytical Methods for Residues of Pesticides and Veterinary Products in Foodstuffs and the Working Party on Pesticide Residues of the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food Analyst 1985 110 765. Hara H. Horva G. and Pungor E. Analyst 1988,113 1817; Anal.Abstr. 1989,51 6H57. Norwitz G. and Keliher P. N. Analyst 1987 112 903 (and references cited therein). L‘vov B. V. Polzik L. K. Romanova N. P. and Yuzeforsku A. I. J. Anal. At. Spectrom. in the press. OConnor A. Sigma St. Louis MO personal communications 1989. Appelqvist R. Ph.D. Thesis University of Lund Sweden 1987. Journal titles should be abbreviated according to the Chemical Abstracts Service Source Index (CASSI). The abbreviation for this journal is J. Anal. At. Spectrom. For books the edition (if not the first) the publisher and the place and date of publication should be given followed by the page number. 1 Harrison W. W. and Donohue D. L. in Treatise on Analytical Chemistry eds. Kolkhoff I. M. and Winefordner J. D. Wiley New York 2nd edn. British Pharmacopoeia 1988 HM Stationery Office London 1988 vol.1 RMiEka J. and Hansen E. H. Flow Injection Analysis 2nd edn. Wiley New York 1988 pp. 299-304. Moody G. J. and Thomas J. D. R. in Ion Selective Electrodes in Analytical Chemistry ed. Freiser H. Plenum New York 1978 ch. 4. Beauchemin D. and Craig J. M. in Plasma Source Mass Spectrometry. The Proceedings of the Third Surrey Conference on Plasma Source Mass Spectrometry University of Surrey July 16th-l9th 1989 eds. Jarvis K. E. Gray A. L. Jarvis I and Williams J. G. The Royal Society of Chemistry Cambridge 1990 pp. 25-42. OfJicial Methods of Analysis of the Association of OfJicial Analytical Chemists ed. Horwitz W. Association of Official Analytical Chemists Arlington VA 13th edn. 180 sect. 20.104. 1989 pt.1 VO~. 11 ch. 3. pp. 189-235. 2 3 4 5 p. 140. 6 Authors must in their own interest check the lists of references against the original papers; second-hand references are a frequent source of error. References to conference abstracts which have not been published in the open literature are not acceptable. The number of references must be kept to a minimum. Nomenclature. Current internationally recognized (IUPAC) chemical nomenclature should be used. Common trivial names may be used but should first be defined in terms of IUPAC nomenclature. A listing of all relevant IUPAC nomenclature publications appears in the February issue. Symbols and units. The SI system of units as recommended by IUPAC should be followed. Their basis is the ‘Systkme Internationale d‘Unitts’ (SI).A detailed treatment is given in the ‘Green Book’ Quantities Units and Symbols in Physical Chemistry (Blackwell Oxford 1988 edn.). The following will be the guidelines used (a) A metric system will always be used in preference to a non-metric one. (b) SI will be the standard usage. (c) The units used to record the definitive values of ‘critical data’ or quantities measured to a high degree of accuracy will be SI. These units are summarized in the Appendix. The effect on current style of papers for JAAS includes the following (a) dimensions should preferably be given in metres (m) or in millimetres (b) temperatures should be expressed in K or ‘c (not OF); (c) wavelengths should be expressed in nanometres (nm) not mp; (d) frequency should be expressed in Hz (or kHz etc.) not in c/s or c.P.s.; rotational frequency can be denoted by use of s-’; in mass spectrometry signal intensity should be expressed in counts s-’ and not in Hz; (mm); (e) radionuclide activity should be expressed in becquerels (Bq); (f) the micron (p) will not be used; will be 1 pm.When non-SI units are used they must be adequately explained unless their definition is obvious (e.g. “C and A). The derivation of derived non-SI units should be indicated. Abbreviations. Abbreviational full stops are omitted after the common contrac- tions of metric units (e.g. ml g pg mm) and other units represented by symbols. Abbreviations other than those of recognized units should be avoided in the text except after definition. Upper case letters without points should be used for abbreviations for techniques and associated terms subsequent to definition e.g.HPLC AAS XRF UV NMR SCE. The abbreviations Me Et Pr“ Bun Bu’ Bu‘ Bus Ph Ac Alk Ar and Hal can be used; others should be defined. Substituents should be indicated by R (one) or by R’ R2 R3 .. . (more than one). Percentage concentrations of solutions should be stated in internationally recognized terms. Thus the symbols ‘m’ instead of ‘w’ for mass and ‘v’ for volume are to be used. The following show the manner of expressing these percentages together with an acceptable alternative given in parentheses YO m/m (g per 100 g); YO m/v (g per 100ml); YO v/v. Further implications of the use of the term ‘mass’ are that ‘relative atomic mass’ of an element (A,) replaces atomic weight and ‘relative molecular mass’ of a substance (M,) replaces molecular weight.Concentrations of solutions of the common acids are often conveniently given as dilutions of the concentrated acids such as ‘dilute hydrochloric (1 + 4)’ which signifies 1 volume of the concentrated acid mixed with 4 volumes of water. This avoids the ambiguity of 1 4 which might represent either 1 + 4 or 1 + 3. Dilutions of other solutions should be expressed in a similar manner. Molarity is generally expressed as a decimal fraction (e.g. 0.375 mol dm-3). Tables and diagrams. Table column headings should be brief. Tables consisting of only two columns can often be arranged horizontally. Tables must be supplied with titles and be so set out as to be understandable without reference to the text.Either tables or graphs may be used but not both for the same set of results unless important additional information is given by so doing. The information given by a straight-line calibration graph can usually be conveyed adequately as an equation or statement in the text Column headings and graph axis labels should be in accord with SI conven- tions. Thus the expression of numerical values of a physical quantity should be dimensionless i.e. the quotient of the symbol for the physical quantity and the symbol for the unit used e.g. p/Pa or some mathematical function of a number e.g. In (p/Pa). Further examples are v/cm-’ I/cm mass of substance/g and flow rate/ml min-’. For units which are already dimensionless i.e. ratios such as % or ppm the type of ratio is indicated in parentheses e.g.e (YO) or e (ppm). The diagonal line (solidus) will not be used to represent ‘per’. In accordance with the SI system units such as grams per millilitre are already expressed in the form g ml-’. It should be noted that the ‘combined’ unit g ml-’ must not have any ‘intrusive’ numbers. To express concentration in grams per 100 millilitres the word ‘per’ will still be required Concentration/g per 100 ml. It may be preferable for an author to express concentrations in grams per litre (g I-’) rather than grams per 100 ml. Diagrams will be retraced and lettered if necessary in order to achieve uniform line thickness and lettering size and style. However all diagrams should be carefully and clearly drawn on good quality paper and should be carefully and clearly lettered.If possible chromatograms and spectra complicated flow charts circuit diagrams etc. should be supplied as artwork for direct reproduction in order to avoid time-consuming and expensive redrawing. The clearest copy should be without lettering.Three complete sets of illustrations should be provided two sets of which may be made by any convenient copying process for transmission to the referees. Photographs. Photographs can be submitted if they convey essential infor- mation that cannot be shown in any other way. They should be submitted as glossy or matt prints made to give the maximum detail. Colour photographs All diagrams should be accompanied by a separately typed set of captions. be accepted Only when a photograph to show Some Wherever possible extensive identifying lettering should be placed in the caption rather than on lines on graphs etc.feature and can be either as prints Or transparencies. Appendix I The SI System of Units In the SI system there are seven base units- Physical quantity length mass time electric current thermodynamic temperature amount of substance luminous intensity Symbol for Name Symbol quantity of unit for unit 1 metre m kilogram t second I ampere T kelvin n mole I candela m kg A K mol cd S There are two supplementary dimensionless units for plane angle (radian rad) and solid angle (steradian sr). Some derived SI units that have special names are as follows- Name Physical of unit frequency force pressure stress energy work heat power electric charge electric potential electric capacitance electric resistance electric conductance magnetic flux magnetic flux density inductance Celcius temperature plane anle solid angle hertz newton pascal joule watt coulomb volt farad ohm siemens weber tesla henry degree Celcius radian steradian Examples of other derived SI units with no special names or symbols are- Physical quantity area volume density velocity angular velocity acceleration pressure kinematic viscosity diffusion coefficient dynamic viscosity electric field strength magnetic field strength luminance Symbol for unit Hz N Pa J W C V F !a2 S Wb T H "C rad sr SI unit square metre cubic metre kilogram per cubic metre metre per second radian per second metre per second squared newton per square metre square metre per second newton second per square metre Certain units will be allowed in conjunction with the SI system e.g.- volt per metre ampere per metre candela per square metre Physical quantity Name of unit time plane angle volume magnetic flux density (magnetic induction) temperature t energy pressure mass minute degree litre gauss degree Celsius electronvolt bar unified atomic mass unit Symbol for unit min 1 G "C eV bar 0 U Symbol for SI unit m2 m3 k m-3 m s-l rad s-' m s - ~ N m-2 m2 s-' N s m-2 V rn-l A rn-l cd rn-' Dejinition of unit 60s (n/180) rad lo-' m3=dm3 10-4 T t / T = T/K - 273.16 1.6021 x lo-'' J lo5 Pa 1.660 54 x kgThe other common units of time (e.g.hour and day) will continue to be used in appropriate contexts. Decimal multiples and submultiples have the following names and symbcds (for use as prefixes)- 10-3 milli m 103 kilo k 10-9 nano n 109 gisa G micro P lo6 mega M 10l2 pic0 P 10l2 tera T 1015 femto f 1015 peta P lo2' zepto z I d ' zetta Z 1024 yocto Y 1024 yotta Y 1 0I8 atto a 1 oI8 exa E Compound prefixes (e.g.mpm) should not be used; lo-' m= 1 nm. Appendix II Abbreviations Whenever suitable elements may be referred to by their chemical symbols and compounds by their formulae. the first place of mention. The following abbreviations will be used extensively in the Atomic Spectrometry Updates and may be used in original papers provided that they are defined at a.c. AA AAS AE AES AF AFS AOAC APDC ASV CCP CMP CRM cw dc DCP DDDC DMF DNA EDL EDTA EDXRF EIE EPMA ETA ETAAS ETV EXAFS FAAS FAB FAES FAFS FI FPD FT FTMS GC GD GDL GDMS Ge( Li) HCL hf HG HPGe HPLC IAEA IBMK ICP ICP-MS IR IUPAC alternating current atomic absorption atomic absorption spectrometry atomic emission atomic emission spectrometry atomic fluoresence atomic fluoresence spectrometry Association of Official Analytical Chemists ammonium pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate (ammonium pyrrolidin- 1 -yl anodic-stripping voltammetry capacitively coupled plasma capacitively coupled microwave plasma certified reference material continuous wave direct current d.c.plasma diammonium diethyldithiocarbamate N N-dimethylformamide deoxyribonucleic acid electrodeless discharge lamp ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence easily ionizable element electron probe microanalysis electrothermal atomization electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry electrothermal vaporization extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy flame AAS fast atom bombardment flame AES flame AFS flow injection Flame photometric detector Fourier transform Fourier transform mass spectrometry gas chromatography glow discharge glow discharge lamp glow discharge mass spectrometry lithium-drifted germanium hollow cathode lamp high frequency hydride generation high-purity germanium high-performance liquid chromatography International Atomic Energy Agency isobutyl methyl ketone (4-methylpentan-2-one) inductively coupled plasma inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry infrared International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry dithioformate) LA LC LEAFS LEI LMMS LOD LTE MECA MIP MS NAA NaDDC NIES NIST NTA OES PIGE PIXE PMT PPm PTFE QC rf REE(s) RIMS RM RSD SEC SEM SFC Si ( Li) SIMAAC SIMS SR SRM SSMS STPF TCA TIMS TLC TOP0 TXRF uhf uv VDU vuv WDXRF XRF PPb SIB S/N laser ablation liquid chromatography laser-excited fluorescence spectrometry laser-enhanced ionization laser microprobe mass spectrometry limit of detection local thermal equilibrium molecular emission cavity analysis microwave-induced plasma mass spectrometry neutron activation analysis sodium diethylidithiocarbamate National Institute for Environmental Studies National Institute of Standards and Technology nitrilotriacetic acid optical emission spectrometry particle-induced gamma-ray emission particle-induced X-ray emission photomultiplier tube parts per billion parts per million polytetrafluoroethylene quality control radiofrequency rare earth element(s) resonance ionization mass spectrometry reference material relative standard deviation signal to background ratio size-exclusion chromatography scanning electron microscopy supercritical fluid chromatography lithium-drifted silicon simultaneous multi-element analysis with a continuum source secondary ion mass spectrometry signal to noise ratio synchrotron radiation Standard Reference Material spark source mass spectrometry stabilized temperature platform furnace trichloroacetic acid thermal ionization mass spectrometry thin-layer chromatography trioctylphosphine oxide total reflection X-ray fluorescence ultra-high-frequency ultraviolet visual display unit vacuum ultraviolet wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence X-ray fluorescence The Royal Society of Chemistry Thomas Graham House Science Park Milton Road Cambridge UK CB44WF.Telephone +44 (0) 1223 420066; Fax +44 (0) 1223 420247; Internet RSC I @ RSC.ORG