Ionization Sources for Inorganic MS

The following ionization sources are used mainly in inorganic (atomic) MS, where the elemental composition of the sample is desired. The glow discharge (GD) and spark sources are used for solid samples, while the inductively coupled plasma (ICP) is used for solutions. All three sources are also used as atomic anission spectroscopy sources they are described in more detail with diagrams in Chapter 7. 

The GD source and spark source are both used for sputtering and ionizing species from the surface of solid samples and have been discussed in Chapter 7 for use as atomic emission sources. 

---