Investigation of light scattering for normalization of signals in laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Light scattering is evaluated for normalizing signals in laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The scattering signal produced from the transported ablation aerosol is measured with a laboratory-constructed cell. The technique is used to account for variations in the ablated mass within a matrix as well as between matrices. Matrices that are studied include brass, glass, soil, and Macor(R) ceramic. It is demonstrated that the technique is useful for normalizing analyte signals within a matrix; however, it is not as effective as the use of an internal standard in terms of the precision obtained. The utility of the technique to normalize between matrices is studied for glass, Macor(R), and soil. The results indicate that light scattering is useful provided that the particle sizes generated are sufficiently similar.