Abstract: This overview covers some recent developments in UV-visible atomic and mol. spectrometry. In atomic spectrometry these include developments in background correction techniques for furnace atomic absorption spectrometry, methods of multielement anal. based on atomic emission from the inductively coupled plasma and on atomic absorption spectrometry. The use of linear diode array detectors in these three areas is considered. In mol. spectrometry, the rapid collection of spectra from hydrogen-based flames with use of a vidicon detector is described, and the value of 3-dimensional, contour and variable angle scanning of spectrofluorometric spectra stressed, as well as the advantages of derivative spectra. The use of a diode array spectrophotometer in conjunction with flow-injection anal. is outlined, and applications of flow injection in conjunction with chemiluminescence measurements are given. Combinations of some of these detection systems with chromatography are briefly mentioned. 86 Refs.