What is an Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer?
ICP-MS uses an inductively coupled plasma ionization source linked to a mass spectrometer. It is the preferred means of determining the elemental composition, especially ultra-trace components, of materials. It has found acceptance in various applications including environmental (e.g., drinking, river, sea and waste water analyses), geological (e.g., trace element patterning), clinical (e.g., determination of trace metals in blood, serum and urine) and high purity materials (e.g., semiconductor reagents and components) analysis. Briefly, a sample, most commonly an aerosol produced by nebulization, is injected into a high- temperature plasma obtained by heating a flowing argon gas stream with radio frequency (RF) energy. Under conditions approximating those at the surface of the sun, the sample is promptly vaporized, atomized and ionized as it flows through the plasma. High speed mass analysis provides a “mass fingerprint” that identifies the elements contained in the sample. The partic
