Detection limits of about 350 prominent lines of 65 elements observed in 50 and 27 MHz inductively coupled plasmas (ICP): effects of source characteristics, noise and spectral bandwidth-“Standard” values for the 50 MHz ICP

Abstract

This paper links up with a previous publication by the same authors [Spectrochim. Acta41B, 1235 (1986)] dealing with the measurement of the effective line profiles of about 350 prominent lines at high spectral resolution and the determination of the physical widths of these lines. In the present work the line widths are used for a breakdown of the detection limits obtained with these lines using different ICPs and different spectrometers. This breakdown takes into account the separate effects of source characteristics, noise, and spectral bandwidth. The availability of the numerical values of the physical widths of a large number of lines permitted a more rigorous approach than in a previous work [Spectrochim. Acta40B, 1437 (1985)]. The present approach was applied to detection limits obtained in this work with a 50 MHz ICP at high spectral resolution and to results reported by Wingeet al. [Appl. Spectrosc.33, 206 (1979)] and WOHLERS [ICP Information Newslett.10, 601 (1985)]for 27 MHz ICPs. The 50 MHz ICP was shown to have an advantage in source signal-to-background ratio (SBR) with respect to either of the two 27 MHz ICPs. This SBR advantage was a factor of 3–15 with respect to the “Winge ICP” and a factor of 2–6 with respect to the “Wohlers ICP”. The approach was also used to convert detection limits measured in the 50 MHz ICP at high resolution into values for 15 pm spectral bandwidth and a relative standard deviation of the background signal equal to 1%. These values are recommended as standards of performance for the conventional argon ICP. The paper comprises a tabulation of the complete results for the 350 prominent lines and includes four sets of detection limits for these lines.