Anodic stripping voltammetry combined on-line with inductively coupled plasma-MS via a direct-injection high-efficiency nebulizer.

A direct-injection high-efficiency nebulizer (DIHEN) is used to couple a thin-layer electrochemical flow cell on-line with an ICP-mass spectrometer to perform anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV) at a thin mercury film followed by subsequent ICPMS measurements for the stripped metal analytes. The resultant hyphenated technique (ASV-DIHEN-ICPMS) is capable of analyzing select heavy metals present at ultratrace levels (down to low-ppt to sub-ppt levels) that are lower than the detection limits obtained by conventional ICPMS. In addition to its good analytical performance, the technique offers other attractive features such as the ability to eliminate detrimental matrix effects that can compromise ICPMS analyses and the possibility of probing electrode reactions involving trace amounts metal species with ICPMS.