An atomic emission detector has been evaluated for the estimation of C:H and C:N ratios of compounds eluted in gas chromatography. When C:H and C:N ratios were estimated using external reference compounds, the greatest accuracy was obtained when the quantity of the reference compound was similar to that of the analyte of interest. The accuracy of the C:H and C:N ratios determined was also affected by the molecular structure of the reference compound. C:H ratios of the greatest accuracy were obtained by using reference compounds having structures similar or close to those of the compound of interest; this was not always so for C:N ratios.