Kick Interference to the Curb: Tackle ICP-OES Applications with Ease

Overcoming Interferences in Optical ICP Analyses
Oral Presentation

Prepared by

Contact Information: [email protected]; 603-921-7304


ABSTRACT

Interferences are common with any plasma-based technique, particularly when trying to measure trace level concentrations in a sample matrix which contains high concentrations of elements that produce line rich spectra. Several types of interferences exist in ICP-OES and their severity is dependent on the analyte wavelength, other elements present in the sample and the sample matrix itself.

Evaluating interferences is not a trivial task and must be carried out with a great deal of care and thought. When they are erroneously identified or not compensated for correctly, interferences will result in poor quality data. With the number of interference types and the variety of correction approaches possible, interference correction can quickly become an overwhelming task, particularly to an inexperienced operator.

This work will describe an automated, intelligent approach to interference removal for trace element analysis using optical emission spectroscopy, and exemplify this capability with a suite of real-world sample matrices. The intuitive software and instrument method setup allow even the most novice users to generate accurate, high-quality data with minimal training.