Quantitation of water and plasma diagnosis for electrothermal vaporization-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry: The use of argon and argide polyatomics as probing species

The water content of the carrier flow originating from an electrothermal vaporization unit (ETV) attached to an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer was monitored by following the argon hydride ion (ArH+) at m/z = 37. The goal was to measure the water expelled by the ETV at sample vaporization and evaluate the influence of this parameter on the ion-generation efficiency. Linear responses from the argon hydride were obtained when the water loading in the plasma injector flow was increased from 0 to 3.3 mg/min, Other argides and water-derived species (Ar+, Ar-2(+) and O-2(+)) were also monitored simultaneously and the effects from operating parameters have been calculated for each species. The magnitude of these effects can eventually be used as diagnosis tools. It was also found that signals for zinc, copper, lead, antimony and arsenic were greatly influenced by slight variations in water loading at low water levels. These signal fluctuations are greatly attenuated and transients' shapes restored by convoluting each element transient with the ArH+ or Ar-2(+) curves that were recorded simultaneously. Envisioned applications that would benefit from a water-enhanced signal include spray electrothermal vaporization, direct sample insertion and laser ablation for inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. The argon dimer Ar-2(+) seems more appropriate for making the correction since it provides a direct insight on the plasma temperature and provides a robust signal. (C) 1998 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.