ICP-MS
Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, also called ICP-MS, is a method used to measure elements in biological fluids. It uses inductively coupled plasma in the ionization of a sample. In the past, people used atomic emission and atomic absorption in laboratories, but people now have adopted ICP-MS. Measuring trace elements tends to be essential for biological samples because it detects manganese, iodine, selenium, copper, and zinc. These elements have many benefits in biological processes like oxygen, electron transport, and hormone synthesis.
Benefits of ICP-MS
There is a wide range of advantages of ICP-MS, including multi-element capability, which allows several elements to be measured simultaneously.
It provides a simple preparation method that offers a high sample method in the laboratory. The biological elements are first diluted and later through thermal digestion before analysis.
It is unique from other inorganic mass spectrometry in that it can analyze a sample without interruption. Other methods need two-stage processes.
Molecular Tests
Molecular biology lab services mostly analyze liquids. For solid samples, vaporization through electrothermal and laser ablation is preferable. HyLabs performs the molecular tests in their laboratories to analyze disease pathogens like corona virus.
ICP-MS Process
Before entering the ICP, liquids are aerosolized using a nebulizer through an autosampler and peristaltic pump. Nebulizers are of different types, including ultrasonic, pneumatic, and desolvating, performing different functions.
After aerosolization, the sample goes through the spray chamber where filtration of large aerosol droplets takes place to smoothen it for the nebulization process. The aerosol droplets travel from the nebulizer down a central tube in the spray chamber.
Hyphenation of ICP-MS, the sample is completely atomized, and the different chemical forms cannot be distinguished after it reaches the plasma. They use chromatography to distinguish the different elements before the sample reaches the plasma.
Later inductively ionizing the coupled plasma, unlike other methods, completely atomizes most of the molecules in the sample.
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