Quantitative Applications:
Flame photometry was developed through Lundegarh to determine the concentration of several soil components. The concentration of many alkali and alkaline earth metals is significant within determining the suitability of the soil for cultivation. Extremely frequent an analysis of shed leaves of the plant for K+ and Ca2+ is carried out. This provides an idea of the concentration of these ions within the soil that could be taken up through the plant. For agricultural reasons, an analysis of a proper mixture of surface soil and subsoil is carried out to determine the fertilizer requirement of the soil. Within all these analysis, the soil or the ash is evaporated to dryness along with conc. hydrochloric acid and the residue is treated along with water or dilute hydrochloric acid to get these ions within aqueous solutions.
In clinical chemistry, it is extremely important to determine the concentration of sodium and potassium ions in body fluids because their ratio controls the action of muscles involving the heart. Since these ions form few insoluble compounds and exhibit fundamentally no acidic or basic properties, they cannot be determined readily through conventional wet chemical techniques and are commonly measured instrumentally. Flame photometry is the common technique employed in determining these ions. This is achieved through diluting the blood serum and aspiration into the flame.