Topic

Robert Thomas has more than 30 years of experience in trace element analysis. He is the principal of his own freelance writing and scientific consulting company, Scientific Solutions, based in Gaithersburg, MD.

Articles

A recent investigation found dangerous levels of heavy metals in commercial baby foods. Tighter scrutiny and regulations are needed.

Regulating Heavy Metals in Baby Food: The Challenges of Food Manufacturers and the FDA Being on the Same Page

Jerome Workman Jr. serves on the Editorial Advisory Board of Spectroscopy and is currently with Unity Scientific LLC. He is also an adjunct professor at Liberty University and U.S. National University. He can be reached at jworkman04@gsb.columbia.edu.

L. Robert Baker, the 2021 Emerging Leader in Atomic Spectroscopy, applies ultra- fast, time-resolved X-ray spectroscopy to explore charge transfer at surfaces, to understand electron transfer, energy conversion, electrochemistry, and catalysis.

The 2021 Emerging Leader in Atomic Spectroscopy Award

EPA Method 200.8 and the Lead and Copper Rule Revisions don’t allow use of modern ICP-MS technology with a collision cell. Instead, correction equations can be used to compensate for polyatomic interferences.

Analyzing Water Samples Using EPA Method 200.8 to Support the Lead and Copper Rule Revisions

Spectroscopy Announces the Winner of the 2021 Emerging Leader in Atomic Spectroscopy Award

This article provides a convenient summary of portable and handheld spectroscopy techniques, outlining the most prominent types of compact instruments for both atomic and molecular spectroscopy.

A Brief Survey of Handheld and Portable Instruments Used in Spectroscopy

Inductively Coupled Plasma–Based Techniques (ICP-OES and ICP-MS) 

This method detects elements intrinsically present in cells, and because sc-ICP-TOF-MS measures a full mass spectrum, no analytes are missed.

Single-Cell Analysis by Inductively Coupled Plasma–Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry to Quantify Algal Cell Interaction with Nanoparticles by Their Elemental Fingerprint

Nebulizer selection is a critical but often overlooked aspect of inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) analyses. There are many different nebulizers available for ICP-OES, and choosing the optimal one can be confusing and difficult. To achieve peak performance from your ICP, it is essential to choose the proper nebulizer based on your sample types in addition to any necessary accessories to maintain long-term performance. In this study, we compare the performance of Glass Expansion’s most popular concentric nebulizer designs for ICP-OES applications as well as a parallel-path nebulizer from another vendor, providing a complete selection guide based on performance and design.


High Performance ICP-OES Sample Introduction: How to Choose and Use the Best Nebulizer for Your Analysis

For a number of elements, spectroscopic interferences can have a significant impact on the ability to achieve low detection limits in ICP-MS. We investigate the mechanisms in multi-quadrupole ICP-MS that are designed to remove these interferences.

Multi-Quadrupole ICP-MS: Pushing Limits of Detection to the Next Decimal

Material identification, also called positive material identification (PMI), is used to analyze and identify materials for quality assurance and quality control to verify proper alloy or material is being used.