Development of methods to improve the robustness of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry while also improving detection limits

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Many laboratories have to perform the accurate analysis of numerous samples everyday, from service laboratories, such as Activation Laboratories Ltd (Actlabs) whose livelihood is to perform analyses, to government agencies (such as the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Health Canada and Environment Canada to name a few), which monitor food, drugs, water, etc. for our safety. However, limitations of the instruments that are used for this purpose often complicate the analyses by requiring additional steps, which unavoidably decrease the number of samples that can be analyzed each day. Furthermore, available instruments can barely detect several elements of interest. The goal of this collaborative research effort between the Department of Chemistry at Queen's University and Actlabs is to develop practical, easily implementable means of circumventing the main limitations of these instruments that could be applied to industry, as opposed to more esoteric approaches that remain isolated in academia. To this end, several approaches will be optimized or developed to (1) make the measurement largely independent of sample composition and (2) decrease the lowest quantity of metal-containing species that can be measured in a variety of samples. This collaboration will benefit Queen's through new basic and applied research directions, salary support for students, and publication of basic research results. Actlabs will benefit from new analytical techniques that they can successfully use for more effective analysis of geochemical samples, with shorter turnaround time, which should attract more clients. Canada will benefit from the increased speed and reduced cost at which mining projects can develop. Mining and exploration companies indeed require analytical results at every step through the development process and cannot proceed to the next step without these results. Reducing the turnaround time will thus speed up mine development. As a large part of Canada's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is from the mining sector (57 billion reported in July 2012), this will have a tremendous effect on Canadian GDP.