Scientific Writing Solutions 

An Independent Consultant Serving 

the Freelance Writing Needs of the Scientific Community

2nd Edition of "Practical Guide to ICP-MS: A Tutorial for Beginners" Textbook

I cannot believe that it’s been 4 years since I published the first edition of this textbook. What was originally intended as a series of tutorials on the basic principles of ICP-MS for Spectroscopy magazine in 2001 quickly grew into a textbook focusing on the practical side of the technique. With well over a thousand copies of the English version sold and a Chinese (Mandarin) version now in print, I’m very honored that the book has gained the reputation as being the reference book of choice for novices and beginners to the technique. Sales of the book have exceeded my wildest expectations. Of course it helps when it is “recommended reading” for a Short Course I teach twice a year on “How to Select and ICP-MS”. It also helps when you get the visibility of your book being displayed at 15 different vendors’ booths at the Pittsburgh Conference every year. But there is no question in my mind that the major reason for its success is that it presents ICP-MS in a way that is very easy to understand for beginners, and also shows the practical benefits of the technique for carrying out routine trace element analysis.

However, four years is a long time for a textbook to remain current, even if sales of the book in its fourth year were almost as high as they were in its first year in 2004. For that reason, it made sense to not only write an updated version to represent the current state of the technology, but also to incorporate all the great feedback from users and vendors I received over the past few years.  But still not loosing sight that it’s target audience was going to be users who had just started to use ICP-MS or analytical chemists who were in the process of thinking about investing in the technique. So with that in mind, I present to you the second edition of “A Practical Guide to ICP-MS: A Tutorial for Beginners”. Below is a summary of the major changes from the 1^st edition.

I have included two brand new chapters on:

·     Elemental Speciation: The demand for trace element speciation studies, particularly using liquid chromatography coupled with ICP-MS, has sky-rocketed in the past few years, especially in the environmental, toxicological and clinical fields. This new chapter will attempt to capture the current state of this exciting hyphenated technique, with particular emphasis on the most common applications being carried out and the optimum hardware and software configurations for both the liquid chromatographic separation and ICP-MS detection, to ensure the most successful speciation analysis.

·     Glossary of ICP-MS Terms: I regret not putting this chapter in the 1st edition of my book, based on feedback I received. So I knew when I got round to writing the next edition, a basic dictionary or glossary of ICP-MS terms was an absolute necessity. I have therefore put together a list of explanations and definitions of the most common words, expressions and terms used in this book. It is aimed specifically at beginners to use as quick reference guide, without having to go looking for a more detailed explanation of the subject matter somewhere else in the book.

There are also major rewrites and significant additions to the following chapters:

·     Collision/Reaction Cell/Interface Technology: Collision and reaction cells and interfaces have revolutionized ICP-MS analysis since their commercialization in 1999. They are allowing determinations that were previously difficult if not impossible to carry out using quadrupole-based instrumentation. However, as more and more applications are getting developed, it is clear that all the different commercial designs on the market approach the analytical determinations differently. This extended chapter on collision/reaction cells will attempt to clarify the strengths and weaknesses of each design and how they impact the strategy for developing a method and the analysis of unknown samples.

·     Alternative Sample Introduction Techniques: Non-standard sampling accessories like laser ablation systems, flow injection analyzers, electrothermal vaporizers, cooled spray chambers, desolvation equipment, direct injection nebulizers and automated sample delivery systems and dilutors are considered critical to enhance the practical capabilities of the technique. Their use has increased significantly over the past few years as ICP-MS is being asked to solve more and more diverse application problems. This chapter reflects the increased interest in sampling accessories, especially in the area of specialized sample introduction and desolvation devices to reduce the impact of common interferences.

·     ICP-MS Applications: As ICP-MS is getting less expensive, it is getting installed in more and more routine labs and as result is being asked to solve more diverse application problems every year. In addition, the power of collision/reaction cell/interface technology is taking the technique into applications areas that previously required high resolution instrumentation to carry out the analysis. This chapter, while still emphasizing the most common routine-type applications, will also give an insight into the emerging new application areas being addressed.

·     How to Select an ICP-MS System: The Most Important Analytical Considerations: My experience of teaching two Short Courses a year on this subject has given me a unique insight into the kinds of questions that most novices have when evaluating commercial instrumentation. This chapter will focus on the most important analytical considerations when going through the evaluation process, with particular emphasis on what I have learned from teaching my course over the past four years.

·     Comparison of ICP-MS With Other Atomic Spectroscopy Techniques: This chapter has been updated to compare the performance capabilities of modern ICP-MS (with collision/reaction cell/interface capabilities), with the latest ICP-OES, GFAA and FAA instrumentation. In addition, the section on “cost of analysis” has been updated to reflect the price of gases, electricity and instrument consumables in 2007/2008, compared to four years ago.

In addition, I have made minor modifications to many of the other chapters in the book, to reflect the advancement of the technology over the past four years.

Click here to order the book on the publisher's website

Click here to read details of the 1st edition