The (Inductively Coupled Plasma – Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS) is an instrument which measures most of the elements in the periodic table. The first papers on ICP-MS were published in the 1980s. Since that time, many improvements and refinements have been made to each generation of ICP-MS instrumentation.
An ICP-MS consists of the following components : ☻Sample Introduction System – consists of the peristaltic pump, nebulizer, and spray chamber and provides the means of getting samples into the instrument. ☻ICP Torch – generates the plasma which serves as the ion source of the ICP-MS, converting the analyte atoms to ions. ☻Interface – links the atmospheric pressure ICP ion source and the high vacuum mass spectrometer. ☻Vacuum System – provides high vacuum for ion optics, quadrupole, and detector. ☻Lens – focuses ions into a beam for transmission into the quadrupole. ☻Quadrupole – acts as a mass filter to sort ions by their masstocharge ratio (m/z). ☻Detector – counts individual ions passing through the quadrupole. ☻Data Handling and System Controller – controls all aspects of instrument control and data handling to obtain final concentration results.
Sample introduced into nebulizer
Nebulizer converts samples into small droplets
Droplets carried through spray chamber into the plasma
Plasma ionizes the elements present in the droplet
Ions pass through the interface and are focussed onto the len
Ions are separated by the MS on the basis of their m/z ratio
Measured by the detector
Data system converts signal intensities into concentration
ICP-MS offers many benefits to laboratories performing trace metal determinations: ♣ ICP-MS offers detection limits equal to or better than those attainable using Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption (GFAA) with much higher productivity. ♣ ICP-MS can easily handle both simple and complex sample matrixes. ♣ ICP-MS has detection limit capabilities that are superior to those obtained in Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES).
♫ Many geochemically important elements including the Rare Earth Elements (REE), are associated chemically with minerals that require alkali fusion for their decomposition. ♫ As a result, the total salt content of the solution for analysis can exceed 2% (w/v). ♫ Even after a 10-fold dilution of these solutions the sampler cone of the ICP-MS can become blocked over a period of time, resulting in a gradual loss of sensitivity. ♫ This loss in sensitivity over time is known as drift and to get accurate estimates of trace elements present in samples we need to correct the ICP-MS outputs for this drift. ♫ Drift correction is achieved with the help of an in-house MS-DOS based program called Turbo-Pascal.
L abe l Tim eS tamp 75A s 82 Se 115 In 0 85 91 14 6 1 b lan k ######## 24 .406 4.892 -62 6.12 5 2 b lan k ######## -10 .739 -2.6 69 9 7.31 8 3 b lan k ######## -1 0.04 -2.2 23 52 8.80 7 M ean of b lan ######## k 1 .209 0 0 S D of bla nk 20 .092 4.242 58 3.58 4 %R SD o f bl ank 1662 .256 0 0 1 2 .5pp b ######## 2 2 .5pp b ######## 3 2 .5pp b ######## M ean of 2 .5pp ######## b S D of 2.5p pb %R SD o f 2.5 ppb
1098 .738 1020 .949 1036 .614 10 52.1 41 .142 3.91
-1 .89 -9.0 03 -3.8 85 -4.926 3.6 69 74.476
-740 08.9 6 -732 47.2 8 -731 08.8 7 -734 55.0 3 48 4.67 8 0.66
1 5 ppb ######## 2 5 ppb ######## 3 5 ppb ######## M ean of 5 ppb ######## S D of 5pp b %R SD o f 5p pb
2286 .099 2283 .366 2310 .966 2293 .477 15 .208 0 .663
-0.777 -1.3 34 -2.1 11 -1.4 07 0 .67 47.6 11
-453 19.2 3 -452 73.4 3 -464 02.0 4 -45 664 .9 63 8.79 1 1.39 9
1 1 0pp b ######## 2 1 0pp b ######## 3 1 0pp b ######## M ean of 1 0ppb ######## S D of 10p pb %R SD o f 10 ppb
4275 .288 3982 .383 3937 .159 4064 .943 183 .562 4 .516
-3.7 75 -2.9 97 -7 .78 -4.851 2.5 66 52.9 06
384 9.19 3 9 21.2 4 -20 7.86 3 152 0.85 7 209 3.93 9 13 7.68 2
1 5 0pp b ######## 2 5 0pp b ######## 3 5 0pp b ######## M ean of 5 0ppb ######## S D of 50p pb %R SD o f 50 ppb
1943 8.93 1915 2.46 20407.24 1966 6.21 657 .542 3 .344
-7 .11 -1.6 64 -2.5 54 -3.7 76 2.9 21 77.3 63
362 272 .6 394 345 .8 414 391 .1 390 336 .5 262 89.5 4 6.73 5
1 p ro c bla nk ######## 2 p ro c bla nk ######## 3 p ro c bla nk ######## M ean of p ro######## c b la nk S D of proc bl ank %R SD o f proc bl an k
138 .794 122 .143 108 .156 123 .031 15 .338 12 .467
5.3 65 4.474 2.0 28 3.9 56 1.7 28 43.6 81
-105 052 .5 -10 506 2 -105 053 .1 -105 055 .9 5 .3 0.005
Run
CSV (MS-DOS) File
MS-Excel File
Run
L abe l Tim eS tamp 75A s 82 Se 115 In 0 85 91 14 6 1 b lan k ### ### ## 24 .406 4.8 92 -62 6.12 5 2 b lan k ### ### ## -10 .739 -2.6 69 9 7.31 8 3 b lan k ### ### ## -1 0.04 -2.2 23 52 8.80 7 M ean of b lan ### k ### ## 1 .209 0 0 S D of bla nk 20 .092 4.2 42 58 3.58 4 %R SD o f blank 1662 .256 0 0 1 2 .5pp b ### ### ## 2 2 .5pp b ### ### ## 3 2 .5pp b ### ### ## M ean of 2 .5pp ### b### ## S D of 2.5p pb %R SD o f 2.5 ppb
1098 .738 1020 .949 1036 .614 10 52.1 41 .142 3.91
-1 .89 -9.0 03 -3.8 85 -4.9 26 3.6 69 74.4 76
-740 08.9 6 -732 47.2 8 -731 08.8 7 -734 55.0 3 48 4.67 8 0.6 6
1 5 ppb ### ### ## 2 5 ppb ### ### ## 3 5 ppb ### ### ## M ean of 5 ppb ### ### ## S D of 5pp b %R SD o f 5p pb
2286 .099 2283 .366 2310 .966 2293 .477 15 .208 0 .663
-0.7 77 -1.3 34 -2.1 11 -1.4 07 0 .67 47.6 11
-453 19.2 3 -452 73.4 3 -464 02.0 4 -45 664 .9 63 8.79 1 1.39 9
1 1 0pp b ### ### ## 2 1 0pp b ### ### ## 3 1 0pp b ### ### ## M ean of 1 0ppb ### ### ## S D of 10p pb %R SD o f 10 ppb
4275 .288 3982 .383 3937 .159 4064 .943 183 .562 4 .516
-3.7 75 -2.9 97 -7 .78 -4.8 51 2.5 66 52.9 06
384 9.19 3 9 21.2 4 -20 7.86 3 152 0.85 7 209 3.93 9 13 7.68 2
1 5 0pp b ### ### ## 2 5 0pp b ### ### ## 3 5 0pp b ### ### ## M ean of 5 0ppb ### ### ## S D of 50p pb %R SD o f 50 ppb
1943 8.93 1915 2.46 2040 7.24 1966 6.21 657 .542 3 .344
-7 .11 -1.6 64 -2.5 54 -3.7 76 2.9 21 77.3 63
362 272 .6 394 345 .8 414 391 .1 390 336 .5 262 89.5 4 6.73 5
1 p ro c bla nk ### ### ## 2 p ro c bla nk ### ### ## 3 p ro c bla nk ### ### ## M ean of p ro### c b la ### nk ## S D of proc bl ank %R SD o f proc blan k
138 .794 122 .143 108 .156 123 .031 15 .338 12 .467
5.3 65 4.4 74 2.0 28 3.9 56 1.7 28 43.6 81
-105 052 .5 -10 506 2 -105 053 .1 -105 055 .9 5 .3 0.00 5
We will look at how we do drift correction with DBSCORR, in Dr. Polya’s Lab.
So, lets proceed folks!!!!!