Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer with axial field in a quadrupole reaction cell

Abstract

A novel reaction cell for ICP-MS with an electric field provided inside the quadrupole along its axis is described. The field is implemented via a DC bias applied to additional auxiliary electrodes inserted between the rods of the quadrupole. The field reduces the settling time of the pressurized quadrupole when its mass bandpass is dynamically tuned. It also improves the transmission of analyte ions. It is shown that for the pressurized cell with the field activated, the recovery time for a change in quadrupole operating parameters is reduced to Ͻ4 ms, which allows fast tuning of the mass bandpass in concert with and at the speed of the analyzing quadrupole. When the cell is operated with ammonia, the field reduces ion-ammonia cluster formation, further enhancing the transmission of atomic ions that have a high cluster formation rate. Ni⅐(NH3) n ϩ cluster formation in a cell operated with a wide bandpass (i.e., Ni ϩ precursors are stable in the cell) is shown to be dependent on the axial field strength. Clusters at n ϭ 2-4 can be suppressed by 9, 1200, and Ͼ610 times, respectively. The use of a retarding axial field for in-situ energy discrimination against cluster and polyatomic ions is shown. When the cell is pressurized with O 2 for suppression of 129 Xe ϩ , the formation of 127 IH 2 ϩ by reactions with gas impurities limits the detection of 129 I to isotopic abundance of ϳ10 Ϫ6 . In-cell energy discrimination against 127 IH 2 ϩ utilizing a retarding axial field is shown to reduce the abundance of the background at m/z ϭ 129 to ca. 3 ϫ 10 Ϫ8 of the 127 I ϩ signal. In-cell energy discrimination against 127 IH 2 ϩ is shown to cause less I ϩ loss than a post-cell potential energy barrier for the same degree of 127 IH 2 ϩ suppression. (J Am Soc Mass Spectrom 2002, 13, 1176 -1185

High Sensitivity Analysis of Trace Element‐Poor Geological Reference Glasses by Laser Ablation‐Inductively Coupled Plasma‐Mass Spectrometry (LA‐ICP‐MS)

“…The upgrade resulted in a considerable increase in sensitivity and the option to use the collision cell technology (e.g., Bandura et al 2002, Hattendorf and Guenther 2000, Moens et al 2001. The ICP-MS was upgraded to the first 7500cs instrument in Germany by addition of a collision cell, shield torch system and a second rotary vacuum pump in September 2003.…”

“…The ICP-MS was upgraded to the first 7500cs instrument in Germany by addition of a collision cell, shield torch system and a second rotary vacuum pump in September 2003. The upgrade resulted in a considerable increase in sensitivity and the option to use the collision cell technology (e.g., Bandura et al 2002, Hattendorf and Guenther 2000, Moens et al 2001. All measurements presented here were carried out after the upgrade in standard mode (without the active collision cell).…”

Determination of 129I in Fukushima Soil Samples by ICP-MS with an Octopole Reaction System

“…[12][13][14][15][16] In order to improve the precision and accuracy of the , have been reduced by using O2 as a reaction gas. 12 This analytical approach has a potential to provide a high-throughput technique for the quantitative analysis of 129 I in soil samples contaminated by the FDNPP accident.…”

Laser ablation and ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer with orthogonal sample introduction and axial field rf-only quadrupole cooling

“…Tandem instruments like triple quadrupole or quadrupole-Time-ofFlight (QqTOF) mass spectrometers implement collision damping ion guides for cooling and focusing of the primary ion beam and as a collision cell for MS-MS experiments. One of the problems associated with such a device is the absence of a force to drag the ions towards the exit of the ion guide [17,18]. Thus the ions, once cooled and slowed down, can reside inside the ion guide for a long period of time determined by the diffusion process, which reduces the transmission of the ions.…”