Flow injection analysis

Flow injection (FI) is now accepted as a robust and reliable means of sample presentation and on-line sample treatment in analytical laboratories. The term flow injection analysis (FIA) was first used by Ruzicka and Hansen in 1975 [1] and its subsequent success can largely be attributed to its simplicity and versatility. FI is an unsegmented continuous flow technique and by manipulating basic operational parameters, e.g. flow rates and sample volume, a wide variety of analytical conditions can be established in a highly reproducible manner, allowing the routine determination of a diverse range of analytes, sample matrices and concentration ranges. The key to this versatility is ‘controlled dispersion’.