Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS) is well suited for vegetation analysis. Slurry nebulization offers an attractive alternative to traditional digestions that increase the risk of sample contamination and analyte...
The analysis of environmental samples is widely carried out to determine if a soil is safe for agricultural use, if water is safe to drink, if the air that we breathe can make us sick, how far reaching is pollution, if a contaminated site has been suitably remediated, etc. This article discusses how inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS) can be used to this end. Indeed, with detection limits at the parts per trillion or even parts per quadrillion level, depending on the element and the instrument, ICPMS is very advantageous for the detection and quantification of toxic or potentially toxic species in environmental samples. This article describes sample preparation for ICPMS analysis and instrument calibration to yield accurate quantitative results. This includes the precautions that are often required, which vary depending on the type of analysis, sample matrix, instrument, and elements to be determined. It also includes techniques that can be coupled to ICPMS to increase its capabilities, such as laser ablation or electrothermal vaporization for direct solid analysis and liquid chromatography, gas chromatography, or capillary electrophoresis for speciation analysis, as speciation information is lost in the inductively coupled plasma (ICP) where all compounds are atomized.
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