Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is an analytical technique that ionizes sample material in an argon plasma and separates the resulting ions by mass-to-charge ratio to measure elemental composition.

Nebulizer: A device that converts a liquid sample into a fine aerosol for introduction into an instrument. It forms the aerosol that carries liquid samples into the plasma.
Trace element analysis: The measurement of elements present at low concentrations in a material. ICP-MS commonly quantifies trace metals and metalloids in complex samples.
Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry: An elemental analysis technique that identifies and quantifies elements from light emitted by excited atoms and ions in a plasma. It shares plasma sample excitation but measures emitted light rather than ion mass.
Mass-to-charge ratio: The ratio of an ion's mass to its electric charge, commonly denoted m/z in mass spectrometry. The analyzer sorts ions according to this quantity, not mass alone.
Inductively coupled plasma tandem mass spectrometry: An ICP-MS configuration with two mass analyzers and a reaction or collision cell between them. It adds mass selection and cell reactions to suppress difficult spectral interferences.
Inductively coupled plasma: An electrically conductive gas sustained by electromagnetic induction, often reaching temperatures of several thousand kelvin. Its heat desolvates, vaporizes, atomizes, and ionizes much of the sample.
Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry in environmental analysis: The use of ICP-MS to measure elements in environmental samples such as water, soil, and sediment. It detects low concentrations of contaminants in environmental matrices.
Atomic absorption spectroscopy: An elemental analysis method that measures how much light free atoms absorb at characteristic wavelengths. It often offers simpler, lower-cost measurements but usually analyzes fewer elements at once.
Isotope: One of two or more atoms of the same element with different numbers of neutrons. Isotopes create distinct mass signals and enable isotope-ratio measurements.
Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry: An ICP-MS technique that uses a laser to sample solid material as an aerosol for elemental analysis. It extends plasma mass spectrometry to spatially resolved analysis of solid samples.

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