Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Perkin Elmer NexION 2000 ICP-MS
Acronym	ICP-MS
Classification	Mass spectrometry
Analytes	atomic and polyatomic species in plasma, with exceptions; usually interpreted towards concentrations of chemical elements in sample
Manufacturers	Skyray, Agilent, Analytik Jena, Horiba (only ICP-OES), PerkinElmer, Shimadzu, Spectro, Thermo, GBC Scientific, Nu Instruments, DVS Sciences (now Standard BioTools)
Other techniques
Related	Inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy
Hyphenated	Liquid chromatography-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LC-ICP-MS), Gas chromatography-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (GC-ICP-MS), Laser ablation inductively coupled mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS)

Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is a type of mass spectrometry that uses an inductively coupled plasma to ionize the sample. It atomizes the sample and creates atomic and small polyatomic ions, which are then detected. It is known and used for its ability to detect metals and several non-metals in liquid samples at very low concentrations. It can detect different isotopes of the same element, which makes it a versatile tool in isotopic labeling.

Compared to atomic absorption spectroscopy, ICP-MS has greater speed, precision, and sensitivity. However, compared with other types of mass spectrometry, such as thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) and glow discharge mass spectrometry (GD-MS), ICP-MS introduces many interfering species: argon from the plasma, component gases of air that leak through the cone orifices, and contamination from glassware and the cones.