ABSTRACT
In all my years of working with inductively coupled plasma (ICP) spectrochemistry, I have never come across any written material that included a basic dictionary of terms, primarily aimed at someone new to the technique. When I first became involved in the inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) techniques, most of the literature I read tended to give complicated descriptions of instrument components and explanations of fundamental principles that more often than not sailed over my head. It was not until I became more familiar with the technique that I began to get a better understanding of the complex jargon used in technical journals and presentations at scientific conferences. So, when I wrote my second ICP-MS textbook, I knew that a glossary of terms was an absolute necessity. In this book, we’ve expanded the glossary to also include ICP-OES terms, to cover the chapter compiled by Maura Rury. Even though the glossary is not exhaustive, it contains explanations and definitions of the most common ICP-OES and ICP-MS words, expressions, and terms used in this book. It should mainly be used as a quick reference guide. If you want more information about the subject matter, you should use the index to find a more detailed explanation of the topic in the appropriate book chapter. (Note: It does not include commercial names used by any of the instrument vendors.)
