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Chromatography ICP MS Supplies

Carl Stuart Ltd is an Authorised Channel Partner for Agilent Technologies and for all their ICP-MS 4500 and 7500 consumables. We supply the full range of Agilent Technologies' skimmer cones, sampler cones, ETP multipliers, spray chambers, connectors, gas line suppliers, ion lens, nebulisers, peri-pump, and Torch supplies for the 4500 and 7500 series instruments.

We also work with other manufacturers to support the majority of other ICP-MS manufacturers' instrumentation. These include products from Glass Expansion, Spectron and ETP to name but a few. The product ranges available are listed by manufacturer.

Glass Expansion has been manufacturing sample introduction components for ICP emission and mass spectrometers since the early 1980s. At Carl Stuart Ltd we support instruments from 16 manufacturers, providing sample introduction systems for over 50 different ICP and ICP-MS models. Many of the major ICP manufacturers supply the GE range as standard and the products are widely used and embraced by recognised analysts in the ICP industry.

Carl Stuart Ltd work with leading manufacturer, Spectron, providing ICP-MS cones for all instruments and supplying OEM to the majority of top equipment makers. Manufacturing cones since 1988, Spectron has sold more cones than any other manufacturer and has a solid reputation for quality, service, and price. Spectron platinum cones can be good value for many applications. Large Pt/10%Rh inserts are utilised for improved lifetimes and optimum thermal characteristics.

Carl Stuart Ltd also represent ETP, the leading manufacturer of product solutions for mass spectrometry. ETP has supplied detectors to end users and manufacturers of mass spectrometers worldwide. Carl Stuart Limited also supply Inorganic Standards and the TKA range of Water Purification Systems, to generate standards and for sample preparation by ICP and ICP-MS.

To request a brochure or further information on any of the manufacturers we represent, please don't hesitate to Contact Us directly with your enquiry.

The Principles of ICP-MS

ICP-MS performs multi-elemental analysis with excellent sensitivity and high sample throughput. The ICP-MS instrument employs a plasma (ICP) as the ionization source and a mass spectrometer (MS) analyzer to detect the ions produced. It can simultaneously measure most elements in the periodic table and determine analyte concentration down to the sub nanogram-per-liter (ng/l) or part-per trillion (ppt) level. It can perform qualitative, semiquantitative, and quantitative analysis. As it employs a mass analyzer, it can also measure isotopic ratios.

In general, liquid samples are introduced to the nebulizer via a peristaltic pump, where the sample aerosol is formed. A double-pass spray chamber ensures that a consistent aerosol is introduced into the plasma. Argon (Ar) gas is introduced through a series of concentric quartz tubes, which form the ICP. The torch is located in the center of an RF coil, through which RF energy is passed. The intense RF field causes collisions between the Ar atoms, generating a high-energy plasma. The sample aerosol is instantaneously decomposed in the plasma (plasma temperature is in the order of 6000 - 10000 K) to form analyte atoms, which are simultaneously ionized. The ions produced are extracted from the plasma into the mass spectrometer region, which is held at high vacuum (typically 10-4 Pa). The vacuum is maintained by differential pumping. The analyte ions are extracted through a pair of orifices, known as the sampling and skimmer cones.

The analyte ions, as mentioned above, are then focused by a series of ion lenses into a quadrupole mass analyzer, which separates the ions based on their mass/charge ratio. The term quadrupole is used because the mass analyzer essentially consists of four parallel stainless steel rods, to which a combination of RF and DC voltages are applied. The combination of these voltages allows the analyzer to transmit only ions of a specific mass/charge ratio.

Finally, the ions are measured using an electron multiplier and are collected by a counter for each mass number.

The mass spectrum generated is extremely simple. Each elemental isotope appears at a different mass (e.g. 27Al would appear at 27 amu), with a peak intensity directly proportional to the initial concentration of the isotope in the sample solution. A large number of elements ranging from Lithium (Li) at low mass, to Uranium (U) at high mass, are simultaneously analyzed (typically within 1-3 minutes). With ICP-MS, a wide range of elements, in concentration levels from ppt to ppm level, can be measured in a single analysis.

The ICP-MS is widely used as a key analytical tool for the determination of trace level elements in many industries including semiconductor, environmental, geological, chemical, nuclear, clinical, and research laboratories.