Can plasma spectrochemistry assist in improving the accuracy of chemical analysis?

The validity of data produced in chemical analysis must be properly guaranteed for their quality as analytical results are far from being accurate. There is a growing pressure to improve the overall quality of analytical information and to make it consistent with general metrological principles. Plasma spectrochemical methods are evaluated in their ability to increase the accuracy of analysis, to serve eventually as definite methods of analysis and to assist in the elaboration of certified reference materials. Possibilities reside in the application of isotope dilution mass spectrometry and in increasing the knowledge of the fundamental processes governing ion and photon formation so that they become able to describe fully the processes which link analytical signals with concentration. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.