News from LabRulezICPMS Library - Week 47, 2024

Our Library never stops expanding. What are the most recent contributions to LabRulezICPMS Library in week 47, 2024? Check out new documents from the field of spectroscopy, especially ICP/MS techniques!

👉 SEARCH THE LARGEST REPOSITORY OF DOCUMENTS ABOUT ICPMS AND RELATED TECHNIQUES

👉 Need info about different analytical techniques? Peek into LabRulezLCMS or LabRulezGCMS libraries.

This week we bring you applications and other documents by Agilent Technologies, Shimadzu, Metrohm, and Thermo Fisher Scientific!

1. Shimadzu: Determination of 20 Nutritional, Essential and Toxic Elements in Blood Serum by ICP-MS using Alkaline Dilution

• Application

User Benefits

Using serum calibrators and serum control samples of ©Recipe simplifies working routine while reducing risk of errors

Offering gas switching times <5 sec and using ProActive Rinsing function, a sample cycle time of ~2.0 min. can be achieved, avoiding the need of additional fast rinse accessories / sample loops

Of great importance is the comparable low serum volumes required per specimen (~ 75 μL Serum)

Introduction

Elemental analysis of blood serum is crucial for understanding the biochemical composition of the human or animal body and its implications for health. Several scientific studies have provided evidence supporting the importance of element analysis in various aspects of healthcare, whether it can be nutritional assessment, toxic element exposure or medical conditions.

In recent times, ICP-MS is state of the art choice for routine analysis of elements in blood serum. Different aspects like robustness and throughput form the principles of this method, while not compromising reliability.

Important aspects to take into consideration are highlighted within this note, especially aiming to reduce sample volume and measurement time, allowing to quantify more than 20 elements in ~2.0 min. while avoiding more complex sample injection techniques.

Conclusion

For routine use, the ICPMS-2040 LF is highly suitable for analyzing trace elements in human and veterinary blood serum. The method allows for the measurement of samples from extremely low serum volumes.

To measure Se more sensitive and without double charged ion interferences of Gd, ICPMS-2050 LF is the instrument of choice.

More than 20 elements can be measured at a rate of 30 samples per hour. The low consumption of argon and helium, combined with reduced power consumption for operating the Minitorch plasma and short sample cycle time, makes it exceptionally cost-effective without compromising sensitivity.

Besides the mentioned elements, further ones like nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr) and manganese (Mn) have been successfully evaluated in shorter batches and can be simply added to make the method once more universal.

2. Agilent Technologies: Reduce Costs and Boost Productivity with the Advanced Valve System (AVS) 6 or 7 Port Switching Valve System

• Technical note

Make the switch to higher productivity

Double your sample throughput and reduce argon consumption by over 50% with The Agilent Advanced Valve System (AVS) 6 or 7 port switching valve accessory.

The AVS is an accessory for the Agilent 5900 and 5800 ICP-OES or 5100/5110 ICP-OES instruments. It features a unique 2 position, 6 or 7 port switching valve (the 7th port is for internal standardization) and a high speed positive displacement pump to rapidly fill the sample loop. Controlled argon bubble injection reduces uptake delay and virtually eliminates rinse times to facilitate high throughput sample analysis.

The Agilent AVS provides:

• Fast, accurate results—the AVS rinses the sample introduction system while the next sample is presented to the instrument, virtually eliminating the delay-times of a conventional ICP-OES analysis. Using controlled argon bubble injection between the sample and rinse solution prevents mixing of the sample and rinse reducing uptake and rinse times
• Reduced operating costs—Shorter analysis times means argon consumption can be reduced by at least 50% per sample. More efficient analysis minimizes the exposure of torches, nebulizers and pump tubes to aggressive chemicals and harsh samples, increasing the life-time of consumables, further reducing costs
• Ease of use—Control of the AVS is simple, as it is fully integrated into the ICP-OES hardware and controlled through the ICP Expert software via the optional Pro Pack software module. This ensures optimal timing (unlike third party switching valve accessories with complicated, stand-alone control software)
• Easy access—Optimized positioning of the AVS eliminates physical obstruction to the common sample introduction components like torch, spray chamber/nebulizer and pump tubes, when they need to be removed for cleaning or replaced
• Reduced carry-over—With argon bubble injection between the sample and rinse solution, carry-over is reduced in the ICP-OES spray chamber. Using an Ar bubble instead of air means the plasma is more stable and gives better analytical precision
• Improved precision and stability—Analytical precision and long term stability is improved by eliminating the fast pumping of the peristaltic pump between samples which destabilizes the plasma 
• Higher productivity—Combined with the Agilent autosampler, the SPS 4 Sample Preparation System, the AVS can double sample throughput 
• Flexibility—the AVS is compatible with a wide range of high capacity autosamplers, holding over 700 samples, for overnight unattended operation. It is also compatible with the Agilent Advanced Dilution System 
• Durability—the AVS is ideal for challenging sample matrices. The constant diameter, metal-free liquid flow path is suitable for samples containing strong acids, HF acid, organic solvents and even high levels of dissolved solids

3. Thermo Fisher Scientific: Robust analysis of a variety of water, wastewater, and soil samples according to U.S. EPA Method 6020B (SW-846)

• Application

Goal

To evaluate and demonstrate performance of the Thermo Scientific™ iCAP™ MSX ICP-MS for robust analysis of a variety of water, wastewater, and soil samples according to the requirements of U.S. EPA Method 6020B.

Introduction

As a result of industrialization and manufacturing, agriculture and farming, and population growth, various types of solid and liquid wastes are introduced or released into the environment that could be hazardous to humans and the ecosystem. Although there are laws, regulations, and measures in place to minimize and control disposal and release into the environment, wastes reduction from anthropogenic sources will continue to be a challenge. The United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Land Management and Emergency Response (OLEM) includes the Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery (ORCR) which implements the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). The RCRA gives the EPA the authority to control the generation, transportation, treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous waste. To do this, the EPA developed regulations, guidelines, and policies for proper and safe management and cleanup of hazardous wastes and programs for pollution prevention and recycling:

• Conserve energy and natural resources by recycling and recovery
• Reduce or eliminate waste
• Clean up waste that may have spilled, leaked, or was disposed of improperly

The EPA developed various test methods for the analysis of contaminants in environmental samples, which can be found in the publication “Test Methods for Evaluating Solid Waste:  Physical/Chemical Methods,” also known as SW-846. This is the EPA’s official compendium of analytical and sampling methods that have been evaluated and approved for use by waste management programs to comply with RCRA regulations. The SW-846 compendium functions primarily as a guidance document setting forth acceptable, although not required, methods for the regulated and regulatory communities to use in response to RCRA-related sampling and analysis requirements. SW-846 is a multi-volume document that changes over time as new information and data are developed. This application note will discuss the workflow developed for the analysis of different types of water, wastewater, and digested soil samples using the iCAP MSX ICP-MS, which offers a comprehensive solution for effective and reliable analysis of high dissolved solid containing samples. Thermo Scientific™ Qtegra™ Intelligent Scientific Data Solution™ (ISDS) Software was used to control the ICP-MS instrument and to generate, process and report analytical data, ensuring that the entire workflow meets the requirements specified in EPA Method 6020B, including quality control samples. To verify the consistent performance of the instrument over time, a sequence of 240 samples was repeated over two consecutive days resulting in a total of 480 samples analyzed.

Summary

The iCAP MSX ICP-MS was extensively tested for compliance with EPA Method 6020B. The quality of the analytical data obtained over two consecutive days of measurements demonstrated that the built-in Argon Gas Dilution system for controlled and automatic dilution of the sample aerosol is a powerful solution for laboratories analyzing demanding samples, such as soil digests or wastewater, under high-throughput conditions. The overall performance of the instrument suggests that reliable analysis of these types of samples can be performed without need of any maintenance and with no instrument downtime over three or more days of analytical work. Some of the important outcomes of this study are summarized below:

• All the requirements of EPA Method 6020B were met during the test period of two days, enabling the analysis of a total of 480 samples.
• The instrument detection limits (IDLs) and lower limits of quantification (LLOQs) achieved met and exceeded the requirements given in the method, which suggests that the employed methodology, with its optimized argon gas sample dilution, is suitable for achieving the required robustness and instrument sensitivity for these types of samples.
• Results observed during analysis of ICB and CCB QC standards indicate that the proposed method ensures minimum carryover between samples, enabling trouble-free measurement of high matrix samples across the full calibrated concentration range.
• The accuracy obtained for ICV and CCV standard solutions ensures the reliability and consistency of instrument performance while analyzing challenging high TDS containing samples such as wastewater and solid waste digests.
• The analytical data obtained during analysis of interference check solutions (ICSA and ICSAB) highlight the effectiveness of single KED mode using helium as collision gas in removing potential polyatomic interferences on each analyte, ensuring interference-free analysis every time.
• The data obtained during analysis of matrix spiked and duplicate measurements demonstrate that minimal or no matrix effect was encountered when analyzing complex matrices such as wastewater.
• The observed behavior of the internal standards on two consecutive days of analysis highlights the robustness and consistency of the instrument performance. The consistent internal standard readback within the range of 80–120% suggests that the developed methodology is a reliable solution for effective handling of high TDS containing samples with no impact from the matrix content.
• Qtegra ISDS Software provides all the necessary tools, including different QC functions, automatic calculations and limit and flag functionality, to ensure that the analysis is performed as per the compliance requirements of EPA Method 6020B.

4. Metrohm: Water content in propylene glycol monomethyl ether (PGME)

• Application

Water determination possible within seconds using NIRS

Propylene glycol monomethyl ether (1-methoxy-2-propanol, or PGME) is one of many glycol ether solvents with a wide variety of applications. It is used as an intermediate and in formulations for industrial, professional, or consumer applications, mainly in surface coatings, inks for printing, cleaning solutions, deicing/anti-icing formulations, and agrochemical purposes. It is also used as an extractant and as a coalescing agent and flow improver in water-based paints.

Water in propylene glycol methyl ether is usually measured by Karl Fischer (KF) titration which requires chemicals and takes about five minutes per determination. This Application Note describes how near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) can be used as a faster and more cost-efficient alternative for water determination in PGME.

CONCLUSION

This Application Note demonstrates the feasibility to determine a key parameter for the quality control of propylene glycol monomethyl ether (water content) with NIR spectroscopy. The main advantages of NIR spectroscopy over wet chemical methods are that running costs are significantly lower and time-to-result is significantly reduced. Additionally, no chemicals are required, and the technique is non-destructive to samples.