Definition
Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS)represents a major geochemical tool for both elemental and isotope ratio analysis . It allows analyses of elements at concentrations as low as 1 part per trillion (ppt) or even lower depending on instrument and application. This is accomplished by ionizing the sample in an inductively coupled plasma (ICP), followed by ion extraction into a mass spectrometer for separation and quantification of those ions. Different types of mass spectrometers are combined with an ICP source such as quadrupole, sector field mass spectrometry (ICP-SFMS), and multi-collector (MC) ICP-MS instruments. The latter are sector field instruments that feature multiple detectors (normally Faraday cups) for simultaneous detection of ions with different masses. The MC-ICP-MS analyses yield unprecedented precisions for isotope ratio measurements in the parts per...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
References
Bouyssiere, B., Szpunar, J., and Lobinski, R., 2002. Gas chromatography with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometric detection in speciation analysis. Spectrochimica Acta, Part B: Atomic Spectroscopy, 57, 805–828.
IUPAC “Gold Book”, 1997. Compendium of chemical terminology, compiled by McNaught AD and Wilkinson A, 2nd edn. Oxford: Blackwell.
Meija, J., Yang, L., Mester, Z., and Sturgeon, R. E., 2012. Correction of instrumental mass discrimination for isotope ratio determination with multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. In Vanhaecke, F., and Degryse, P. (eds.), Isotopic Analysis – Fundamentals and Applications Using ICP-MS. Weinheim: Wiley-VCH, pp. 113–137.
Niu, H., and Houk, R. S., 1996. Fundamental aspects of ion extraction in inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Spectrochimica Acta, Part B, 51, 779–815.
Olesik, J. W., 2014. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometers. In Turekian, K. K. (ed.), Treatise on Geochemistry, 2nd edn. Amsterdam: Elsevier, pp. 309–336.
Rehkämper, M., Schönbächler, M., and Stirling, C. H., 2001. Multiple collector ICP-MS: introduction to instrumentation, measurement techniques and analytical capabilities. Geostandards Newsletter, 25, 23–40.
Thomas, R., 2001. A beginner’s guide to ICP-MS. Spectroscopy, 16(4), 38–42.
Turner, P. J., Mills, D. J., Schröder, E., Lapitajas, G., Jung, G., Iacone, L. A., Haydar, D. A., and Montaser, A., 1998. Instrumentation for low- and high-resolution ICP-MS. In Monaster, A. (ed.), Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry. New York: Wiley-VCH, pp. 421–501.
Vanhaecke, F., 2012. Single-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. In Vanhaecke, F., and Degryse, P. (eds.), Isotopic Analysis – Fundamentals and Applications Using ICP-MS. Weinheim: Wiley-VCH, pp. 31–75.
Wieser, M., Schwieters, J., and Douhitt, C., 2012. Multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. In Vanhaecke, F., and Degryse, P. (eds.), Isotopic Analysis – Fundamentals and Applications Using ICP-MS. Weinheim: Wiley-VCH, pp. 77–91.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2016 Springer International Publishing AG
About this entry
Cite this entry
Schönbächler, M. (2016). Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). In: White, W. (eds) Encyclopedia of Geochemistry. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39193-9_111-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39193-9_111-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-39193-9
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Earth and Environm. ScienceReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Earth and Environmental Sciences