ICP-MS

Spectroscopy recently spoke with Dominic Hare, a senior research officer at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health in Australia, about his work using laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (LA–ICP-MS) to study metals in the brain.

This article describes the direct measurement of trace levels of organometallic process gases in semiconductor manufacturing environments using a gas-exchange device coupled with quadrupole inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).

Contract analytical laboratories use a variety of instrumentation for trace-metal analysis and must take advantage of method standardization whenever there is an opportunity.

Click here to view the complete Wavelength newsletter from October 8, 2013.

Spectroscopy recently spoke with Dr. Dominic Hare, a senior research officer at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health in Australia, about his work using laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) to study metals in the brain. His research highlights the role that iron plays in Parkinson's disease in the hopes to better understand the causes of the disease and eventually find an appropriate treatment.

Rick Russo, the winner of the 2013 Lester W. Strock Award, is known for important advances in laser ablation for use in spectrochemical analysis. In a new interview, he talks about those developments, how his career developed, and what it's like, as a research scientist, to lead a start-up company.

Spectroscopy recently spoke with Frank A. Kero, PhD, about his research with inductively coupled plasma?mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).

Methods and results from a study analyzing metal concentrations in urine samples using inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (ICP-MS)

Wastewater from coal-fired power plants is linked to a wide range of environmental and human health concerns. Measuring low levels of toxic trace metals in these wastewaters is complicated, however, by high levels of interfering matrix elements. A new EPA method using ICP-MS addresses this analytical challenge.

This article describes a way to measure 226Ra using inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) rather than the conventional method of gamma spectroscopy, taking into account an undocumented interference (207Pb19F) that is caused by the requirement to use hydrofluoric acid during sample preparation. The unusually high Pb levels observed in a number of soil samples caused significant interferences at the very low concentrations of 226Ra that were measured. The expected 208Pb18O interference was insignificant under optimized instrument conditions.

The direct analysis of seawater by inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is notoriously difficult because of the high matrix content of the sample that leads to both spectroscopic (for example, polyatomic interferences) and nonspectroscopic interferences (for example, signal suppression). Additionally, the low target concentration levels demand a noncontaminating, robust sample introduction technique. The latest ICP-MS techniques provide high-throughput methods that are able to process large numbers of samples presented for analysis.

The current United States Pharmacopeia (USP) General Chapter <231> "heavy metals limit test" will be replaced by new instrumental methods, USP <232> (Limits) and <233> (Procedures), in 2013.

This study focuses on the use of inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) in Chinese laboratories for measuring toxic, essential, and nutritional elements in foods. In particular, we describe recent advances in detection systems and interference removal capabilities to provide fast and simple multielement analysis over a wide concentration range for many different types of food samples.

A tutorial on inductively coupled plasma (ICP) excitation and sample introduction systems.

Most analytical measurements performed by either inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) or ICP–mass spectrometry (MS) require accuracy and precision, which are essential for obtaining correct answers. However, all modern ICP-OES and ICP-MS instruments have the ability to perform semiquantitative analyses. This seems strange since accuracy is important, but semiquantitative analysis does have a role in analytical measurements. This article will explore why semiquantitative analysis is important and will look at various ways it can be performed and implemented.

A general MIC–ICP-MS method has been successfully developed for the assay of elemental impurities in pharmaceutical products.

The USP proposes the use of analytical techniques capable of measuring impurities at the specified limits with optimal selectivity, sensitivity, simplicity, and robustness.

Part I of this two-part article focuses on the raw materials used in pet food manufacturing and all the potential sources of contamination.

Inductively coupled plasma (ICP) spectroscopy and ICP–mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) provide an interesting set of similarities and contrasts.

Technology in the manufacture of instruments has evolved by leaps and bounds in the past few decades. The capability of these instruments to measure and quantify concentration at picogram levels has made the analyst more aware of trace contaminants unintentionally introduced during analysis. By raising awareness of contamination issues and sources, it is hoped that analysts can take an active role in reducing error in their ICP and ICP-MS analyses.

Almost all current quadrupole ICP-MS systems use collision/reaction cell technology to reduce polyatomic interferences, but the effectiveness of these devices for the removal of unexpected interferences remains a contentious issue. Here, we demonstrate that helium cell mode operation on the instrument described provides an opportunity for analysts to report reliable multielement data from complex, variable, and unknown matrices, using a single He mode method for all required analytes.

Recently, the attention of the U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP) has turned to the elemental impurities found in drug products. Before its most recent activities, USP methods for determining elemental impurities have relied upon outdated methodology that is qualitative, relatively insensitive, and can be used only for the determination of a subset of the toxic elements that should be quantified (USP Chapter <231> - Heavy Metals). Proposed changes have been made that utilize modern analytical techniques for measuring a larger number of heavy metals at toxicologically relevant concentrations. As of this publication, the expected date for implementing changes to USP Chapter <231> is September 2013.

With ICP emission spectrometry, many spectral lines are emitted for each element. The fact that spectral lines for samples containing several elements can overlap is well known as spectral interference. For this reason, it is necessary to use a spectrometer with a resolution over a certain level. Even then, spectral interference might be possible. This article describes a way to measure water samples using inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectroscopy using a simultaneous instrument with a CCD detector and a software package that incorporates the knowledge of experienced analysts as a database, simplifying the selection and confirmation of wavelengths, to allow high precision and interference-free analytical results.

The determination of elements in oils and petroleum products is important to refineries, industrial processes, machinery, and transports. This article explores the analysis of fuel oils using ICP-MS for the routine determination of elements at low concentration levels in both clean and dirty fuel oil samples.

The determination of trace metals in volatile organic solvents is of utmost importance to prevent catalyst poisoning and final product contamination. This article discusses the need for the analysis of trace metals in volatile organic solvents and reviews the challenges and problems that have been traditionally associated with this type of analysis when performed using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). A new method is highlighted, combining ICP-MS with an advanced dual syringe pump sample introduction system. The unique capabilities of the technique to deliver direct, efficient, accurate, and contamination-free analysis of trace metals in volatile organic solvents are demonstrated in an application example.