LC-ICP-MS

Liquid Chromatography-ICP-MS combines established technologies and liquid chromatography selectivity with the trace element sensitivity of ICP-MS. CANTEST's setup consists of a metal free system linked to a Thermo PQ3 or X7 ICP-MS instrument. The flow from the analytical column is introduced into the ICP-MS via a concentric nebulizer, ultrasonic nebulizer (for desolvation of organic matrices), or microconcentric nebulizer (for low LC flow rates).

The combination of Liquid Chromatography and ICP-MS allows the latter to provide information on the presence of a particular elemental species. Speciation information is important from both a pharmacological and nutritional perspective, since some metal complexes may be more toxic than others (e.g. AsIII vs. AsV and CrVI vs. CrIII).  

Applications of LC-ICP-MS include

• Speciation of metal oxidation state (e.g. AsIII and AsV) or ionic form
• Analysis of metal-based drugs in the presence of metabolites
• Separation of free versus protein-bound metals
• Multi-elemental monitoring in a single chromatographic run