Abstract
To perform direct elemental analysis of solids, it is proposed to complement an Element 2 ICP mass spectrometer commercially produced by Thermo Electron Corp. with a glow-discharge ion source based on a hollow cathode. The analyzed sample, in the form of a rod 1.0–2.5 mm in diameter and 15–20 mm in length, is set along the axis of the cathode cavity with an inner diameter of 15–16 mm and a depth of 15 mm. The cathode is placed in a discharge chamber, which, using a viton seal, is substituted for the ICP-source sampler. The use of a plasma mirror and getter evacuation of the source chamber allows a decrease in the source’s hydrocarbon background by a factor of 103–104. The ion source is evacuated by a mechanical pump of the mass spectrometer and an additional turbomolecular pump. Ion sources in a mass spectrometer are replaced (a change from one analytical method to another) within 5 min. The ion current extracted from the IS allows analysis of conducting solids with a sensitivity at a level of several ppb (10−7%) at a resolution of the mass spectrometer of 4000. Combining two easily replaceable ICP and GD ion sources in a single high-resolution analyzer significantly extends the analytical capabilities of the Element 2 mass spectrometer.
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VG 9000 Glow Discharge Mass Spectrometer, VG Isotopes, Cheshire, England, Descriptive Brochure.
Sikharulidze, G.G., RF Patent no. 2269178, Byull. Izobret., 2006, no. 4, p. 21.
Sikharulidze, G.G., RF Patent no. 2211502, Byull. Izobret., 2003, no. 24, p. 47.
Sikharulidze, G.G., RF Patent no. 2174676, Byull. Izobret., 2001, no. 28, p. 32.
Sikharulidze, G.G., Mass-Spektrometriya, 2004, no. 1, p. 21.
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Original Russian Text © G.G. Sikharulidze, 2009, published in Pribory i Tekhnika Eksperimenta, 2009, No. 2, pp. 98–100.