Agilent ICP-MS Journal (February 2018. Issue 71)

Importance of the Topic

Advanced analysis of volatile arsenic compounds in gaseous streams ensures quality control in petrochemical and polymer production and safeguards against toxic catalyst poisons. Precise trace mercury measurement in cosmetics supports consumer safety and regulatory compliance. Innovations in ICP-MS, including heated GC interfaces and MS/MS cell technologies, deliver high sensitivity and robust interference removal. International conferences and webinars foster knowledge exchange across environmental, clinical, and materials applications.

Objectives and Overview

• Establish a rapid method for combined total arsenic quantitation and volatile As species speciation in gas and liquefied gas samples by GC-ICP-MS.
• Develop an interference-free protocol for trace mercury determination in tungsten-rich cosmetic matrices using ICP-QQQ in MS/MS mode.
• Summarize the outcomes of the seventh Asia-Pacific Winter Plasma Conference and highlight relevant educational webinars and publications.

Methodology and Instrumentation

• Arsenic speciation: A gas chromatograph with dual sampling valves and a polar column was coupled via a heated transfer line to an ICP-MS. Online gas dilution and vaporization enabled direct injection of gas and liquefied samples. Key parameters included a fast oven ramp (40 to 250°C in 5 min), 1 : 6 split, and 1600 W RF power.
• Mercury analysis: A triple quadrupole ICP-MS with reaction cell was run in MS/MS mode using O2 cell gas to convert tungsten oxide interferences to WO2+ and filter them out by setting both mass filters to the analyte mass. No gas and helium modes were evaluated for comparison.

Results and Discussion

• The GC-ICP-MS method achieved simultaneous detection of total As and arsine within a single 5 min run, with detection limits of 2 ppt for total As and 12 ppt for arsine. Calibration was linear to 68 ppb. Recovery rates in synthetic and real samples ranged from 89 percent to 95 percent, with partitioning between gas and liquid phases successfully measured.
• In tungsten-rich cosmetic samples, ICP-QQQ in MS/MS mode removed WO+ and WOH+ interferences from all major Hg isotopes, lowering background by over two orders of magnitude. Quantitation at ~0.02 µg/L was consistent across isotopes, while single quadrupole approaches yielded variable results. Spike recoveries were close to 104 percent.
• The Asia-Pacific Winter Plasma Conference attracted 210 participants, covering topics such as single nanoparticle and single cell analysis, laser ablation, isotope techniques, and speciation. Agilent presentations demonstrated the benefits of MS/MS for interference removal. Posters indicated strong environmental application growth and widespread use of Agilent ICP-MS platforms. Educational webinars detailed nanoparticle characterization by spICP-MS and ICP-MS setup strategies for environmental laboratories.

Benefits and Practical Applications

• Fast, dual-mode As analysis supports on-line monitoring of catalyst poisons and ensures monomer purity in polymer manufacturing.
• Interference-free Hg determination enables reliable screening of cosmetics for compliance with safety standards without extensive sample preparation.
• Technical forums and on-demand training accelerate adoption of advanced ICP-MS techniques in research, quality control, and industrial analytics.

Future Trends and Potential Applications

• Integration of GC-ICP-MS for multi-element volatile speciation in petrochemical and environmental monitoring.
• Wider use of ICP-QQQ MS/MS for complex food, pharmaceutical, and geological matrices requiring low-level trace element analysis.
• Advances in single nanoparticle and single cell ICP-MS methods for nanotoxicology, clinical diagnostics, and material characterization.
• Combination of isotope dilution with MS/MS workflows for accurate quantification in proteomics and isotope geochemistry.

Conclusion

These studies demonstrate that combining heated GC interfaces with quadrupole ICP-MS and triple quadrupole MS/MS technologies enables rapid, sensitive, and interference-free analysis of challenging samples containing volatile arsenic species and trace mercury. Community events and training resources support continuous improvement of analytical capabilities in environmental, industrial, and life science sectors.

Reference

• Freije-Carrelo L. et al. Anal. Chem. 2017, 89, 5719–5724.
• Agilent Application Note 5991-8799EN: Total and Speciation Analysis of Volatile Arsenic by GC-ICP-MS.
• FDA Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act: Cosmetics Guidance.
• Song J. et al. Agilent Application Note 5991-5400EN: Trace Element Analysis by ICP-QQQ.