ELEMENT-SPECIFIC CHROMATOGRAPHIC DETECTION BY ATOMIC-ABSORPTION, PLASMA-ATOMIC EMISSION AND PLASMA-MASS SPECTROMETRY

Reviewed are the principles and applications of contemporary methods of element selective chromatographic detection utilizing atomic absorption, emission and mass spectrometry, these adding an information based dimension to time-based monitoring. Flame and furnace atomic absorption are considered for GC and HPLC detection, while microwave induced plasma (MIP) emission is the focus for GC and inductively coupled plasma (ICP) emission for HPLC. Other plasma emission systems are also reviewed. Both MIP and ICP coupled mass spectrometry are covered for GC and HPLC detection. Supercritical fluid chromatographic (SFC) and field flow fractionation (FFF) interfaces are also considered. Analytical performance in terms of quantitative detection limits and elemental selectivity are considered. Examples are drawn from metal and non-metal detection, considering environmental, petrochemical, geochemical, agricultural and chemical fields.