Single Quadrupole Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometers (ICP-MS) are a long-established tool for the analysis of trace elements in a variety of sample types. With help of a collision cell, they can overcome most interferences and determine key contaminants across many application areas with low detection limits. This is why they are commonly found in laboratories analyzing all kinds of water samples, soils, foods and feed or industrial products. Over the last years, ICP-MS systems with triple quadrupole mass analyzers (TQ-ICP-MS), enabling advanced interference removal based on reactive gases such as oxygen or ammonia, have increasingly found their way from research driven applications into applied analytical sciences, but are still not found in large number of laboratories providing service testing at a large scale. This is despite their proven track record of providing superior interference removal, improving right results first time, and increasing confidence in "right first time" results. The underlying reasons are mainly because of the higher initial investment not only in the instrument as such, but also in additional laboratory infrastructure, such as providing additional gases like ammonia to the lab.
Key learning objectives
- Understand the differences in hardware and how they translate into better interference removal and superior detection limits
- See how triple quadrupole ICP-MS can help you to overcome challenges in sample type, independent of the matrix.
- Understand what is needed in order to leverage the full potential of a triple quadrupole ICP-MS.
- Learn how triple quadrupole ICP-MS can help you to improve lab efficiency and realize time savings
