ICP-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was originally developed to provide average (bulk) information on the elemental composition of homogeneous aqueous solutions. However, there is an increasing demand for obtaining new types of information from heterogeneous suspensions containing discrete entities, such as micro- and nano-particles and individual cells. Single-event ICP-MS has emerged as a promising technique due to its ability to determine the elemental content of populations of thousands of discrete entities within short time periods [1]. This technique is based on the monitoring of transient intensity events generated when a sufficiently dilute suspension of discrete entities is introduced into the system.

Since its first application in 2003 [2], however, the correlation between individual events and their corresponding analyte content remains a challenge. Although several methods have been developed to address this issue, a critical comparison of these different approaches is still lacking in the literature.

This presentation critically evaluates the performance of various quantification methods that rely on the use of (i) integrated intensities and (ii) event durations as analytical signals, employing Au and SiO2MNPs as model particles, and a yeast sample for the cell analysis. Finally, the strengths and weaknesses of each approach will be highlighted in order to identify their most suitable areas of application [3].