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Major components and lay-out of a typical quadrupole ICP-MS instrument

ICP-MS is a type of mass spectrometry that is highly sensitive and capable of the determination of a large range of elements at very low concentrations (µg/L). It is based on coupling together an inductively coupled plasma as a method of producing ions (like in ICP-OES) with a mass spectrometer as a mass filter which can sort ions according to their mass/charge ratio.

Advantages:

• ICP-MS can also measure multiple elements (sequential).

• Very low detection (µg/L or ng/L).

• Stable isotopes of the same element can be measured.

Disadvantages:

• Very expensive.

• Sensitive for contamination.

• Interferences (mass overlap and matrix effects).