Contributions to biological analysis by atomic spectrometry — A summary of the achievements of Professor John Michael Ottaway

Abstract

John Ottaway was the head of the Analytical Chemistry Research Group at the University of Strathclyde for almost 20 years and during that period much of the research performed by the Group was devoted to the development of improved analytical procedures for the determination of trace metals in clinical and biological samples. Although this was only one aspect of the Group's activities in analytical chemistry, a number of significant contributions were made in the clinical field and a summary of Professor Ottaway's achievements is given in this brief review. The techniques covered include electrothermal atomisation atomic absorption spectrometry (ETA-AAS), electrothermal atomisation atomic emission spectrometry (ETA-AES), furnace atomic non-thermal excitation spectrometry (FANES), continuum source atomic absorption spectrometry (CSAAS) and atomic fluorescence spectrometry (AFS).