Development of a novel low-flow ion source/sampling cone geometry for inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and application in hyphenated techniques

A novel ion source/sampling cone device for inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) especially operated in the hyphenated mode as a detection system coupled with different separation modules is presented. Its technical setup is described in detail. Its main feature is the very low total argon consumption of less than 1.5 L min−1, leading to significant reduction of operational costs especially when time-consuming speciation analysis is performed. The figures of merit of the new system with respect to sensitivity, detection power, long-term stability and working range were explored. Despite the profound differences of argon consumption of the new system in comparison to the conventional ICP-MS system, many of the characteristic features of the conventional ICP-MS could be maintained to a great extent. To demonstrate the ion source's capabilities, it was used as an element-selective detector for gas (GC) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) where organic compounds of mercury and cobalt, respectively, were separated and detected with the new low-flow ICP-MS detection system. The corresponding chromatograms are shown. The applicability for trace element analysis has been validated with the certified reference material NIST 1643e. - Highlights: ► A low argon flow ion source and sampling interface for ICP-MS is presented. ► The approach saves more than 90% argon compared to conventional ICP-MS operation. ► Analytical performance is shown for sample introduction via solution nebulization. ► Low-flow ICP-MS was used as GC detector for the exemplary separation of Hg species. ► The system was also applied as LC detector to study cobalt-labeled ß-lactoglobulin.