The performance of a commercial quadrupole-based glow discharge mass spectrometer was evaluated for the direct analysis of pure metals. Copper, in the form of bars and wires, was used as a test case since it represented a well characterized matrix, which was an ineffective getter. Analytical data on accuracy, detection limits and both internal (instrument) and external (method) precision show that the technique is comparable in accuracy to traditional arc/spark optical emission spectrometric techniques; however, detection limits are superior. Some differences in instrumental and method detection limits were observed, these being a function of sample preparation.
