Acquisition and Development of the Next-Generation ICP-MS Instrument

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This award from the Chemistry Research Instrumentation and Facilities Program will assist the Department of Chemistry at George Washington University in the purchase of an Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS). This equipment will be used in the following areas of research: (1) investigation of novel high-temperature helium plasmas and new nebulization systems used in analytical spectrometry for elemental analysis; (2) investigation of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry for the detection of bio- organic trace materials; (3) determination of the current quality and quantity of ground water in the District of Columbia, and to develop plans to contain discharges of pollutants from point and non-point sources; (4) measurement of the concentrations and isotopic ratios of metals in biological samples; (5) detection of metal pollutants in samples from the aquaculture development areas in order to find the path of metals to humans through the food fish; isotopic ratios in near-surface samples; and (6) development of validated methodologies for analysis of forensic samples. Inductive Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) is a high temperature technique which uses the discharge generated by inducing a magnet field in a flowing conducting gas to determine the elemental composition of a material. The technique has remarkable selective and sensitivities that allows analytical chemical determination of ground water pollutants landfill leachates, trace metals, forensic material and biological material.