ASICPMS

AS-ICP-MS, or arc/spark ICP-MS, is a solid-sampling variant of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. It combines a pulsed arc or spark ablation source with an ICP-MS instrument to analyze solid materials directly, often with minimal sample preparation. The arc or spark creates a plume of aerosol from the sample surface that is carried by an inert gas into the plasma, where elements are ionized and subsequently detected by the mass spectrometer. Sampling can be performed on a single spot, along a line, or in simple maps, enabling rapid elemental analysis of localized regions.

Quantification in AS-ICP-MS typically requires matrix-matched standards or internal standardization to compensate for varying ablation yields, transport efficiencies, and plasma conditions. Calibration can be challenged by heterogeneity in the sample and differences in ablation behavior between standards and unknowns, so careful experimental design is essential.

Applications of AS-ICP-MS include rapid elemental analysis of metallic alloys, ceramics, minerals, and other solid materials where direct solid analysis offers time or sample-preparation advantages. It is used in metallurgical screening, provenance studies, and forensic or archaeological analyses where fast qualitative or semi-quantitative results are valuable.

Advantages of AS-ICP-MS include minimal sample preparation, high throughput for screening, and the ability to analyze solids directly. Limitations include potential variability in ablation yields and matrix effects that can affect quantitative accuracy, generally lower sensitivity for some elements compared with laser-based methods, and the need for specialized calibration strategies. The technique is often compared with LA-ICP-MS, which uses laser ablation to generate the analytical aerosol but employs different ablation physics and calibration considerations.

See also: ICP-MS, LA-ICP-MS, spark discharge.