Novel low power/reduced pressure inductively coupled plasma ionization source for mass spectrometric detection of organotin species

A novel, low power, reduced pressure, helium inductively coupled plasma source (LP/RP-He-ICP), operated at an estimated incident rf power of 12–15 W and pressures ranging from 0.37 to 1.2 mbar, was interfaced with mass spectrometry and coupled with gas chromatography for the separation and detection of three organotin species,viz., tetraethyltin (TET), trimethyl(phenyl)tin (TMPT) and tetrabutyltin (TBT). Limits of detection (as tin) for TET, TMPT and TBT were 0.12, 0.35, and 0.56 pg, respectively. Characteristic mass spectra matching established library spectra were obtained at low nanogram levels for TET,TMPT,TBT and tetramethyltin (TMT). The potential of the source to provide tunable fragmentation was also investigated.