Application of neon as a collision gas – a cell gas index for collision/reaction cell-ICP-MS determination

Abstract

Neon was applied as a collision gas in a collision/reaction cell of ICP-QMS, since it has a very high ionization potential and does not react with other elements in a collision/reaction cell as well as He. Neon was more effective as a collision gas than He even under the same conditions which had been optimized for He and much more effective under the optimum conditions for each collision gas, because the Ne atom is larger and heavier than the He atom. To evaluate the usefulness of Ne as a collision gas, it was applied to the determination of metallic elements in a river water CRM. The results obtained were in good agreement with its certified values. We also proposed a “cell gas index” which assesses the effectiveness of He, H₂, Ne, Ar, O₂, N₂, Kr, and Xe as a collision/reaction gas considering their chemical and physical parameters.