Development of methods that lower the detection limits of inductively coupled plasma spectrometry without jeopardizing robustness

许多实验室每天都要对大量的样本进行准确的分析，从以分析为生的服务实验室(如Acme分析实验室有限公司)到政府机构(如加拿大食品检验局、加拿大卫生部和加拿大环境局等)，这些机构为了我们的安全监控食品、药品、水等。然而，用于这一目的的仪器的局限性往往使分析变得复杂，因为需要额外的步骤，这不可避免地减少了每天可以分析的样品数量。此外，现有的仪器几乎无法检测到几个感兴趣的元素。女王大学化学系和Acme分析实验室有限公司(Acme)合作研究的目标是开发简单的方法来绕过这些仪器的主要限制。为此，将优化或开发几种方法，以(1)减少可在各种样品中测量的含金属物种的最低数量，以及(2)使测量在很大程度上独立于样品成分。这一合作将通过新的基础和应用研究方向、对其分析实验室的运营支持、对博士后研究员和学生的工资支持以及基础研究成果的出版而使女王学院受益。Acme将受益于他们可以成功地用于更有效的地化样品分析的新分析技术，这应该会吸引更多的客户。加拿大将受益于易于在所有政府、学术和工业实验室实施的简单战略，以提高其结果的质量，同时增加每天可以分析的样本数量。

Many laboratories have to perform the accurate analysis of numerous samples everyday, from service laboratories (such as Acme Analytical Laboratories Ltd) 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 Acme Analytical Laboratories Ltd (Acme) is to develop simple means of circumventing the main limitations of these instruments. To this end, several approaches will be optimized or developed to (1) decrease the lowest quantity of metal-containing species that can be measured in a variety of samples and (2) make the measurement largely independent of sample composition. This collaboration will benefit Queen's through new basic and applied research directions, operating support for their analytical laboratories, salary support for post-doctoral fellows and students, and publication of basic research results. Acme will benefit from new analytical techniques that they can successfully use for more effective analysis of geochemical samples, which should attract more clients. Canada will benefit from the simple strategies that can readily be implemented in all government, academic and industrial laboratories to enhance the quality of their results while increasing the number of samples that can be analyzed daily.