Full Software Control and Integration

In the early days of coupling HPLC components with ICP-MS, there were very few sophisticated communication protocols between the two devices. The sample was injected into the chromatographic separation system, and when the analyte species was close to being eluted off the column, the read cycle of the ICP mass spectrometer was initiated manually to capture the data using the instrument s time-resolved software. Processing and manipulation of the data was then carried out after the chromatogram had been captured, sometimes by a completely different software 

It is also important to emphasize that most vendors also offer integrated systems with turnkey application methods that are almost ready to run samples as soon the instrument is installed. Althongh this is not available for all applications, it is becoming a standard offering for some of the more routine environmental applications. Manufacturers are also realizing that most analytical chemists who are experienced at trace element analysis have very little expertise in chromatography. For that reason, they are providing full backup and customer support with HPLC application specialists as well as with the traditional ICP-MS product specialists. 

Practical Guide to ICP-MS A Tutorial for Beginners, Second Edition 

Lobinski, I. R. Pereiro, H. Chassaigne, A. Wasik, and J. Szpunar, Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry, 13, 860-867,1998. 

Branch, L. Ebdon, and P. O Neill, Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry, 9, 33-37, 1994. 

---