A beginner's guide to ICP-MS - Part III: The plasma source

Part III of Robert Thomas' series on inductively coupled Plasma-mass spectr oscopy (ICP-MS) looks at the area where the ions are generated - the plasma discharge. He gives a brief historical perspective of some of the common a nalytical plasmas used over the years and discusses the components that are used to create the ICP. He finishes by explaining the fundamental principl es of formation of a plasma discharge and how it is used to convert the sam ple aerosol into a stream of positively charged ions.