A mains electricity (AC-powered) laboratory instrument intended to be used to measure the emission, absorption, or fluorescence of electromagnetic radiation by atomic particles following atomization, most commonly by flame or furnace, to determine the concentration of a chemical and/or biological marker in a clinical specimen (e.g., electrolytes, essential trace elements, or metals in body tissues/fluids that may have been used in therapy or resulted from exposure to industrial and environmental pollutants). The device operates with reduced technician involvement and automation of some, but not all, procedural steps.