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A Practical Guide on Coupling a Scanning Mobility Sizer and Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (SMPS-ICPMS)
Published on: July 11, 2017
Measuring the trace elemental composition of size-resolved airborne particles
Jorn D Herner1, Peter G Green, Michael J Kleeman
1Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
Environmental Science & Technology
|March 31, 2006
Summary
A novel acetone extraction followed by ICP-MS analysis offers a precise method for measuring trace elements in airborne particles. This technique provides lower detection limits and better precision than traditional XRF methods, aiding health effect studies.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Analytical Chemistry
- Atmospheric Science
Background:
- Accurate measurement of trace elements in airborne particles is crucial for understanding their environmental impact and health effects.
- Existing methods like X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and traditional ICP-MS with HF digestion have limitations in detection limits and precision for certain elements.
- Size-resolved elemental composition data is vital for source apportionment and exposure assessment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce and evaluate a new method for trace elemental analysis of size-resolved airborne particles using acetone extraction followed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS).
- To compare the performance (method detection limit, accuracy, precision) of the new acetone-ICP-MS method against established techniques including XRF and HF-ICP-MS.
- To assess the capability of the new method for determining the size distribution of various elements in ambient air samples.
Main Methods:
- Development of a novel analytical protocol involving acetone extraction of airborne particles followed by ICP-MS analysis.
- Comparative analysis of the acetone-ICP-MS method with copper anode XRF, molybdenum anode XRF, and HF-ICP-MS using ambient air samples collected in California.
- Evaluation of method detection limits (MDL), accuracy (via ion chromatography and HF-ICP-MS), and precision (via collocated measurements).
Main Results:
- The acetone-ICP-MS method demonstrated method detection limits comparable to the established HF-ICP-MS method, significantly lower (1-3 orders of magnitude) than XRF for many elements.
- Accuracy of the acetone-ICP-MS method was validated against ion chromatography and HF-ICP-MS.
- The new method exhibited superior precision compared to HF-ICP-MS and XRF for most elements analyzed.
- Size distributions of 21 elements were measured with good precision, with potential for 9 additional elements.
Conclusions:
- The acetone-ICP-MS method is a viable and effective technique for measuring trace elemental composition in size-resolved airborne particles.
- This method offers significant advantages in terms of detection limits and precision over conventional XRF techniques.
- The ability to measure the size distribution of a wide range of elements with high precision makes this method valuable for air quality and health effects research.
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