Atomic Spectrometry Update—Inorganic Mass Spectrometry and X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometry

Abstract

This is the second Update covering Inorganic MS and XRF exclusively. The ICP-MS and XRF sections cover a full year and are based upon comprehensive abstracts. The sections other than ICP-MS in Inorganic MS are less well covered but should be fully abstracted during the coming year in readiness for the 1990 ASU. In the Inorganic MS field an increasing interest in the environmental field, particularly on radionuclide pollution, is evident. This trend seems certain to continue in an increasingly Green, post-Chernobyl Europe. In ICP-MS, the increasing popularity of the technique is clear and much attention has turned to solution of problems surrounding introduction of “real world” samples. Slurry nebulisation and ETV techniques show promise in this area. In XRF, the main instrumental developments in the review period centre around the use of synchroton radiation (SR). The use of SR in conjunction with the increasingly popular techniques of X-ray microfluorescence (XRMF) and total reflection XRF (TXRF) is particularly interesting. A wide application base continues to be developed, with notable interest evident in speciation and workplace monitoring.