MICROSCALE FLOW-INJECTION AND MICROBORE HIGH-PERFORMANCE LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHY COUPLED WITH INDUCTIVELY-COUPLED PLASMA-MASS SPECTROMETRY VIA A HIGH-EFFICIENCY NEBULIZER

A high-efficiency nebulizer has been used for coupling microscale now injection and microbore high-performance liquid chromatography with in ductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS). The microscale now injection system was configured to minimize band broadening between t he injection valve and the nebulizer, and it was evaluated for now rat es between 20 and 120 mu L/min. Various materials, including certified reference materials, were analyzed for their arsenic and lead content s, Separation of arsenic species was carried out on microbore liquid c hromatography columns. The absolute detection limits (femtogram range) for various arsenic compounds were excellent compared with those obta ined previously by using conventional column (1 mL/min eluent now) hig h-performance liquid chromatography/inductively coupled plasma mass sp ectrometry, Other advantages of this system include use of small sampl e volumes (less than or equal to 1 mu L), the resulting minimization o f sample matrix introduction into the plasma, and reduced waste genera tion compared with conventional ICPMS sampling systems.