Atomic Spectrometry Update—Atomic Mass Spectrometry and X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometry

Abstract

The large number of papers covered in this year's review emphasizes the strong developments which continue in atomic mass and X-ray fluorescence spectrometries. Although much of the effort is aimed at improving existing technology and methodology, new and innovative instrumentation is also being developed in a number of fields. As the techniques, for example ICP-MS, mature and become more widely available, a shift has become apparent as attention is paid more to sample preparation and introduction than to fundamental aspects of the instrumentation. The methodologies covered in this review are used in analytical laboratories for almost the full spectrum of elemental determinations from routine multi-element analysis to the studies of short-lived isotopes.