| The pursuit of scientific knowledge has spurred the development of a vast array of new instrumentation with a diverse range of capabilities. For elemental determinations, plasma source mass spectrometry (PSMS) has been widely accepted as a powerful family of tools useful for a variety of practical applications. In particular, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS) has demonstrated significant utility due to its low (sub part-per-trillion) limits of detection, broad dynamic range (in excess of 108), and ability to accurately determine most elements in the periodic table and in a variety of sample matrices. In spite of these capabilities, routine ICPMS analyses are often complicated by the presence of interferences. While interfering species can originate from the sample, plasma source, or mass analyzer, they generally produce non-ideal behavior from the analyte(s) of interest and often cause significant errors in the analytical measurement. Generating accurate elemental information with PSMS when an interferent is present often requires application of a correction strategy to address, overcome, or eliminate these errors.;In the present group of studies, three strategies (alternative ionization sources, novel correction methods, and new instrumentation) have been explored to address problematic interferences in PSMS. First, alternative plasma sources such as the gas-sampling glow discharge and atmospheric-pressure glow discharge have been interfaced with mass spectrometry to provide interference-free determinations of a variety of elements of interest. Second, novel correction strategies have been explored. These methods include both the use of a cooled spray chamber to minimize formation of interfering species and application of two mathematical data processing strategies to eliminate interferences. Finally, alternative time-of-flight mass spectrometer geometries have been proposed to improve the figures of merit of ICPMS while reducing the limitations associated with troublesome interferences. |
