Liquid chromatography - Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LC-ICP-MS)

The scientific community has realized that the toxicity, bioavailability, bioactivity, transportability in the organism, and the eventual impact of an element on the environment and mankind will be dictated by the particular species or forms of the element, rather than its total concentration. The types of analysis that lead to this information are typically referred to as speciation, and involve typically the coupling of a separation instrument with an element specific detector. A large number of publications have been devoted to various separation methods coupled to scores of element-specific detection instruments. Yet, because of the combined virtues of versatility, robustness, sensitivity, and multi-elemental capabilities, the coupling of liquid chromatography to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LC-ICP-MS) has become the most popular technique for elemental speciation studies. This review will focus on the basics of LC-ICP-MS, its course of development, and its applications in various fields. Liquid chromatography with a variety of separation mechanisms are discussed, as well as the factors that must be considered when coupling each to ICP-MS. Some typical applications of LC-ICP-MS to the speciation of environmental, biological, and clinical samples are also presented.