ICP-MS is widely used in conjunction with High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and/or Ion Chromatography (IC) systems for the detection of different elemental species. HPLC and IC systems can present their own advantages for different species. For example, the metal free pathway of an IC system is particularly beneficial when analysing trace levels of chromium species which, ordinarily, can leach from the stainless-steel components of a typical HPLC system. Until now, when using a Metrohm IC with an Agilent ICP-MS it was necessary to use two software platforms – Agilent’s ICP MassHunter to control the ICP-MS and Metrohm’s MagIC Net to control the IC – which resulted in the need for the analytical sequence to be duplicated in both software platforms. Thus, leading to additional training requirements as well as the risk of typographical errors between the different software platforms.

With the new ICP MassHunter Plug-In from Metrohm, it is now possible to control the Metrohm IC from within the Agilent ICP-MS software.  This includes real-time status updates, the ability to view IC method specific parameters, and simplify your workflow with a single consolidated sample list. The bi-directional communication gives safe and economic laboratory operation, error free data handling, and process control – if the plasma is extinguished then the IC stops pumping, and vice versa.

Results from the measurement of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) in water using the Metrohm IC coupled to Agilent’s ICP-MS, entirely operated in ICP-MS MassHunter, will be presented.