This edited volume is designed to consider the most recent, significant advances in the use of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for elemental analysis. The introductory chapter is a summary of instrumental and analytical characteristics of the ICP, along with a discussion of various ICP-based techniques. Sample preparation using microwave techniques for ICP-MS is discussed in Chap. 2. Chapters 3 and 5 discuss sample introduction for ICP-MS, with the former discussing techniques and the latter methods to measure droplet size-velocity distributions. Generators to produce the rf energy needed to power the ICP are described in Chap. 4. This chapter also considers the problems associated with coupling an ICP to a mass spectrometer. Chapter 6 focuses on low-and high-resolution mass spectrometer designs employed for ICP-MS. The analytical characteristics of ICP-MS are summarized in Chap. 7. This chapter includes a discussion of factors that influence quantitative response, interferences, and bar graph mass spectra of all the elements. Chapter 8 considers fundamental considerations of ICP-MS, including processes in the instrument that affect chemical composition of the sample and ion transmission. Novel aspects of ICP-MS are discussed in Chap. 9, including flow injection, isotope dilution, electrothermal vaporization, hydride generation, solid sampling, speciation, and high-resolution ICP-MS. The chapter also includes a description of "conventional" applications of ICP-MS, including biological, geological, environmental, industrial, semiconductor, and forensic samples. Chapter 10 discusses the use of ICP-MS using gases other than argon, including mixed gas and helium. The final chapter describes the microwave-induced plasma and its use as an ion source for mass spectrometry. This volume describes the current status of ICP-MS as an analytical technique at the present time. It will be very useful to analytical chemists using this technique for practical analysis.