6N JOURNAL OF ANALYTICAL ATOMIC SPECTROMETRY FEBRUARY 1993 VOL. 8 Conference Report September 13-1 8 1992 The 3rd International Conference on Plasma Source Mass Spectrometry University of Durham UK In the magnificent city of Durham 160 delegates from around the globe assembled for a packed week of plasma source mass spectrometry and socializing. Sam Houk got the confer- ence off to a lively start with a presen- tation ambitiously entitled ‘ 1492- 1992 ICP-MS and the Age of Dis- covery’ in which he compared the early development of ICP-MS to Columbus’ Atlantic voyage to much amusement all round. Having thus warmed up his audience Sam went on to describe recent work in Ames Lab- oratory on the reduction of matrix interferences in ICP-MS using desol- vation and a novel lens configuration.Improvement of isotope ratio preci- sion was the main theme for the remainder of the Instrumentation Theory session. In this context Andrew Walder of VG Elemental described the newest ICP-MS proto- type-a magnetic sector instrument with nine detectors capable of simulta- neous measurement. High precision isotope ratio measurement is the main application intended with RSDs in the range 0.006-0.02°/o. It certainly sounded impressive the price was not mentioned and was probably unmen- tionable! Flow injection and desolvation are currently the fashionable variants for introducing solution samples to ICP-MS appearing throughout the conference as well as in the Sample Introduction Session. Cameron McLeod was unfortunately unable to give his presentation on mercury spe- ciation but Sam Houk stepped in with a presentation on the Direct Injection Nebulizer (who doesn’t carry a spare lecture with them?!).The Industrial Applications Session illustrated two cases where special sample handling procedures are re- quired. Albrecht Brenner (IBM) Ber- told Gercker (Ciba-Geigy) and Bruno Delahaye (IBM) described the analysis of high purity materials for the semi- conductor industry using clean room facilities to protect the samples. Pre- sentations were given by Maria Betti and Jose Garcia Alonso (CEC Karls- ruhe) on the analysis of radioactive materials where the ICP and the sam- ple introduction systems were con- tained in a glove box to protect the analysts. Determinations of trace im- purities in rare earth elements and oxides were treated with two different approaches by workers from Japan,JOURNAL OF ANALYTICAL ATOMIC SPECTROMETRY FEBRUARY 1993 VOL.8 7N Dr. The0 Lutz (Trace Analytic Morges Switzerland) and Dr. Helen Crews (MAFF Norwich UK) King and Queen for the evening at the banquet in Durham Castle Naoko Shibata (National Chemical Laboratory from Industry) used ETV- ICP-MS and described an investigation of oxide ion levels whilst in a poster presentation Takaban et al. (Marubun Corporation) used a high resolution ICP-MS to measure the doubly charged ions of REE impurities. Ten minutes before the start of the session the chairperson for Geological Applications might have been wonder- ing whether the invited speaker was going to turn up. In fact they were one and the same person and Kym Jarvis did indeed arrive to deliver her lecture on the use of laser ablation and slurry sample introduction for determina- tion of PGMs and gold in geological materials.Laser ablation loomed large throughout the session with both the bulk solid sampling and the spatial resolution properties of this method being exploited. Jenny Cook (British Geological Survey) described the use of a frequency quadrupled Nd:YAG laser to give a very small crater 5 pm in diameter) for high spatial resolution. Interesting data on the distribution of REE and Th in monazite nodules were compared with results of electron mi- croprobe analyses. This session in- cluded a review by Bill Perkins of the geochemical and environmental ICP- MS work carried out at UCW Aber- ystwyth which led to him and Nick Pearce sharing the 1992 Alan Date Memorial Award.The Solid Sampling Session on Wednesday morning turned away from the ICP-MS domination of the conference and put the spotlight on GDMS. After an overview of the fundamentals of the glow discharge source by Professor Gijbels (Univer- sity of Antwerp) the presentations ranged widely through the analysis of conducting and non-conducting solids and depth profile measurements re- turning to more fundamental studies reported by Rod Mason to conclude the session. For a non-specialist in GDMS the session provided an en- lightening snap-shot of the capabilities and advantages of the technique. The Gods were kind and Wednes- day afternoon brought glorious sun- shine for the optional excursions to Hadrian’s Wall or the Beamish Open Air Museum.An invigorating change from the lecture theatre both trips were much appreciated by participat- ing delegates. In an unusual arrangement the con- ference dinner was held on the penulti- mate night of the conference in the impressive setting of the Durham Castle Banqueting Hall. A superb meal was followed by presentation of the Alan Date Memorial Award by Jan Date hilarious speeches live music partying and many bleary eyes at breakfast. Jan Date presenting the Alan Date Mem- orial Award to Drs. Bill Perkins and Nick Pearce (University College of Wales Aberystwyth) Helen Crews (MAFF) commenced the Life Sciences session with an over- view of the ICP-MS applications in the MAFF Food Sciences Laboratory. Compared with the other techniques measurement of many trace element concentrations and isotope ratios in biological materials is relatively simple using ICP-MS.Stable isotopes are being used ever more widely in studies of trace element effects in human health. In this session zinc copper and lead isotope uptake studies were discussed by Helen Crews Tom Lyon (Glasgow Royal Infirmary) and Les Dale (CSIRO) respectively the last describing the determination of isotope ratios in sweat for a study of lead uptake through the skin. Thursday afternoon brought the En- vironmental Applications Session with Dr. The0 Lutz (Trace Analytic Morges Switzerland) presedzting the award for best poster to Dr. Paolo Bianco (Camera Commercia Torino Italy)8N JOURNAL OF ANALYTICAL ATOMIC SPECTROMETRY FEBRUARY 1993 VOL.8 an interesting divergence of emphasis. Carlo Vandecasteele started the ses- sion by reminding us that environmen- tal analysis does not always demand the best possible limits of detection and supported this statement with data attained using a VG PQe ‘eco- nomy model’ ICP mass spectrometer. Nick Pearce (UCW Aberystwyth) fol- lowed with a presentation on the water chemistry of acid mine drainage and limits of detection were no restriction here with horrendously high levels of toxic metals involved. Detection limits took on more importance in the pre- sentation by Shin-ichi Yamasaki (National Institute of Agro-Environ- mental Sciences Japan) who used a high resolution ICP mass spectro- meter with an ultrasonic nebulizer to measure first row transition metals and actinides in river water. Limits of detection were blank limited to 1 ppt for copper and nickel but below 0.5 ppt for other first row transition metals and down to 0.01 ppq (pg dm-3) in low resolution mode for neptunium and plutonium.This running out of units was a feature of all the high resolution ICP-MS presentations of the con- fernce although the sampling and con- tamination problems must increase by orders of magnitude as the detection limit drops. The final session of the conference on Friday morning was a look to the future. Scott Tanner (SCIEX) gave a lecture on the most promising aspects of ICP-MS applications and instru- mentation development from his point of view admitting to being much more comfortable once he had got onto hardware and mentioned some space charge! He also described a new sam- ple introduction device developed at SCIEX the monodisperse Dried Mi- croparticulate Injector (MDM) which produces a stream of identically sized droplets and uses much reduced sam- ple uptake rates.Takafumi Hirata (Geological Survey of Japan) talked about a quadrupole mass spectrometer he has built with thermal ionization source. The message ‘The future of plasma source mass spectrometry is TIMS’ did not convince the audience. Alan Gray summed up the con- ference with a confession to some dis- appointment as a physicist at the substantial excess of applications over instrumentation papers but the fact that people were actually using ICP- MS made him feel ‘it had all been worthwhile’. He looked forward to the advance of ICP-MS with high resolution mass spectrometers and the continued improvement in sample in- troduction methods. Thus the dele- gates dispersed with a call from Barry Sharp to attend CSI and its satellites ringing in their ears thankful for the intervening months to prepare their presentations and their livers for the next onslaught! Ros Cox AEA Environment and Energy Harwell Laboratory Didcot Oxfordshire UK