Agilent ICP-MS Journal (October 2018. Issue 74)

Significance of the Topic

• Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is central to modern environmental, industrial, and biomedical analysis due to its sensitivity, speed, and multi-element capabilities.
• Rising demand for monitoring trace contaminants and technology-critical elements drives continuous advances in interference removal, automation, and spatial imaging.
• Integration of tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS), laser ablation, and automated workflows expands the scope of applications from soil surveys to nanomaterial analysis and metal mapping in biological tissues.

Objectives and Overview of the Articles

• Present a rapid multi-element method for China’s National Soil Pollution Survey using the Agilent 7800 ICP-MS.
• Demonstrate isobaric interference removal on tellurium isotopes by MS/MS on the Agilent 8900 ICP-QQQ.
• Highlight the use of LA-ICP-MS for three-dimensional imaging of metals in brain tissue and its relevance to neurological research.
• Introduce on-demand ICP-QQQ webinars and a semiconductor impurity compendium as educational resources.

Methodology and Instrumentation

• Soil and sediment digests were prepared by low-pressure microwave digestion (Mars 6) and analyzed on an Agilent 7800 ICP-MS with High Matrix Introduction (HMI), Ni cones, ORS4 cell in He mode, and a 4× sample dilution.
• Tellurium isotopes were measured on an Agilent 8900 ICP-QQQ using MS/MS with NH₃ (2.0 mL/min) and N₂O (0.45 mL/min) to chemically resolve Xe and Ba interferences.
• Three-dimensional elemental maps of mouse brain sections were generated by coupling a New Wave laser ablation system to an Agilent ICP-MS, with custom software (“Biolite”) for image reconstruction.
• Educational content includes application-focused webinars by Agilent experts and a 152-page semiconductor impurity compendium covering 23 application notes.

Main Results and Discussion

• China Soil Survey: Calibration curves (R² > 0.9999) and QC recoveries within ±10% were maintained over seven hours. Certified reference material recoveries for 15 heavy metals ranged from 98% to 117%.
• Te Analysis by MS/MS: Background equivalent concentrations dropped from ~16 ng/L (128Te) and ~32 ng/L (130Te) to <0.03 ng/L. In Ba matrices up to 1000 µg/L, Te spike recoveries remained within ±3% when using N₂O/NH₃ MS/MS.
• LA-ICP-MS Imaging: Spatial co-localization of iron and dopamine (via Yb-tagged tyrosine hydroxylase) was visualized in the substantia nigra and olfactory bulbs. The 3D elemental distribution provides insight into Parkinson’s disease pathology.

Benefits and Practical Applications

• Rapid, robust multi-element screening for large environmental sample sets.
• Accurate trace detection of technology-critical elements previously limited by isobaric overlaps.
• High-resolution metal distribution mapping in biomedical and pharmaceutical research.
• Enhanced training and application support through webinars and comprehensive compendia.

Future Trends and Possibilities

• Broader adoption of MS/MS strategies to overcome complex interferences across regulatory and research laboratories.
• Expansion of national and global soil contamination databases using standardized ICP-MS workflows.
• Advances in laser ablation imaging software and hardware for automated 3D tissue mapping.
• Growth in on-demand education and digital resources to upskill analysts in ICP-MS innovations.

Conclusion

The latest developments in ICP-MS instrumentation and methodologies—including rapid microwave digestion, MS/MS interference control, and laser ablation imaging—are enabling faster, more accurate, and spatially resolved analyses across environmental, industrial, and biomedical fields. Continued integration of automation and targeted education will further enhance laboratory productivity and data quality.

References

1. Technical Stipulation of Soil Analysis for China Soil Pollution Survey, 2017.
2. Agilent Application Note 5994-0309EN, 2018.
3. Jakubowski N., Prohaska T., Rottmann L., Vanhaecke F., J Anal At Spectrom, 2011, 26, 693–726.
4. Tanner S.D., Baranov V.I., Vollkopf U., J Anal At Spectrom, 2000, 15, 1261–1269.
5. Filiella M., Rodushkin I., Spectrochim Acta Part B, 2018, 141, 80–84.
6. Hare D. et al., Imaging Metals in Brain Tissue by LA-ICP-MS, J Vis Exp, 2017;(119).