Inductively coupled plasma isotope sample introduction system

The MC-ICP-MS consists of four main parts 1) a sample introduction system that inlets the sample into the instrument as either a liquid (most common), gas, or solid (e.g., laser ablation), 2) an inductively coupled Ar plasma in which the sample is evaporated, vaporized, atomized, and ionized, 3) an ion transfer mechanism (the mass spectrometer interface) that separates the atmospheric pressure of the plasma from the vacuum of the analyzer, and 4) a mass analyzer that deals with the ion kinetic energy spread and produces a mass spectrum with flat topped peaks suitable for isotope ratio measurements. 

Because ICP-MS with different instrumentations and sample introduction systems (besides solution nebulization, also laser ablation or hyphenated methods, such as HPLC, CE, SPME) is today the most frequently used analytical technique for precise and accurate isotope ratio measurements, the following section will mainly focus on this form of mass spectrometry with an inductively coupled plasma source. 

Gallon, C., Aggarwal, J., and Flegal, A.R. (2008) Comparison of mass discrimination correction methods and sample introduction systems for the determination of lead isotopic composition using a multicoHector-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer. Anal. Chem., 80, 8355-8363. 

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