Chapter 11 Plasma sources as alternatives to the atmospheric pressure ICP for speciation studies

Publisher Summary The argon atmospheric pressure inductively coupled plasma (ICP) has been used widely as a source coupled with element selective detection. It has found its main application both as an ion source for mass spectrometry and as an excitation source for optical spectroscopy. Some of its main advantages are: high excitation/ionization temperature resulting in the efficient excitation and ionization of most elements in the periodic table; and inert atmosphere resulting in less chemical interference. Five types of microwave plasma (MWP) are commonly used in atomic spectrometry—the microwave induced plasma (MIP), capacitively coupled microwave plasma (CMP), surface wave plasma (or Surfatron), strip-line microwave plasma, and the microwave plasma torch (MPT). The major application of the MWP has been as an atom/excitation cell for atomic emission spectrometry. The MWP is cheaper to purchase and operate than other excitation sources such as the argon ICP.