High Resolution Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectra with a Quadrupole Mass Filter

✍ Scribed by Ji-Feng Ying; D. J. Douglas

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1996
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 388 KB
• Volume: 10
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0951-4198
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-0231(199604)10:6<649::aid-rcm553>3.0.co;2-4

✦ Synopsis

An inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS) system is described in which the quadrupole mass filter can be operated conventionally or in the 'second' stability region (with Mathieu parameters q=7.547, a=0.0295). With operation in the second region a resolution at half-height (Rw) of up to 9000 can be achieved at ndz = 55. At R, = 5000, a resolution sufficient to separate atomic ions from common molecular ion interferences (such "Fe' and 4oAr160+), the sensitivity is cu. lo6 ions s-' per pg mL-' of element in solution. This sensitivity is comparable to that of current sector ICP-MS systems operated at the same resolution. When the quadrupole is operated in the fist stability region, the sensitivity is cu. 108 ions s-' per pg mL-' of element in solution. The continuum background is high, ca lo00 s-', but no attempts have yet been made to reduce this. The results suggest that with continued development, a high resolution quadrupole ICP-MS system will be possible.