ABSTRACT
As the importance of knowing the chemical form of metal elements in medicinal, environmental, biological, and pharmaceutical applications has increased, it has become necessary to know not only the concentrations but also the chemical states of metal analytes. Inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry is being developed as a tool for the analysis of a number of elements and is particularly attractive for its simultaneous multielement monitoring capability. To date, the coupling of high-performance liquid chromatography to Inductively coupled plasma (ICP) has been accomplished only with conventional cross-flow, concentration, or Babington-type pneumatic nebulizers. One of the most interesting fields of analytical chemistry is isolation and identification or organometallie components in samples such as petroleum oils and biological fluids. In the coupling of microcolumn liquid chromatography to ICP, the distance between the microcolumn and the plasma flame must be shortened to prevent peak broadening and sensitivity loss due to the loss of nebulized sample aerosols in the ICP sample introduction part.
