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Radio frequency glow discharge source mass spectrometry (rf GDMS) was employed for determination of tetramethyltin (TMT) with axial sample introduction via capillary gas chromatography (GC). The axial cell design provided homogenous sampling independent of the transfer line capillary position by eliminating discharge asymmetry. Sensitivity value for TMT of 2237 counts pg 21 was achieved with the current setup, a nearly three-fold improvement from a previous study (681 counts pg 21 ). The 120 Sn + ion signal increased with pressure and decreased with rf power. TMT mass spectra with fragment ion signals comparable in intensity to the 120 Sn + ion signal were obtained. The ion signal ratio ( 120 Sn + ion intensity/fragment ion intensity) was monitored as a function of expansion stage pressure of the mass spectrometer to access the extent of molecular fragmentation with variable plasma conditions.

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Quantitative and qualitative mass spectrometric results have been obtained for organotin compounds introduced into a mixed gas He/Ar low-power/reduced-pressure (LP/RP) inductively coupled plasma (ICP). Molecular fragmentation of 10 mg kg−1 of tetraethyltin (TET), introduced by gas chromatography (GC), with respect to pressure and mixed gas composition of the LP/RP-ICP was observed. Detection limits for the organotin compounds introduced into an LP/RP-He/Ar ICP at the pressure producing the optimum analyte signal were in the low picogram range. The source demonstrated “tunable” fragmentation with variation in the helium/argon mixed gas ratio. In addition, tunable fragmentation with pressure variations similar to that achieved previously with helium radio-frequency glow discharge (He-rf-GD) was observed with the LP/RP-He ICP.