Hardware manual

6-10 Agilent 7500 Series ICP-MS Hardware Manual

6 Technical Information

Interface

Ions in the plasma are extracted into the vacuum chamber through a sampling

cone and a skimmer cone. The orifice size of the sampling cone is φ1.0 mm and

that of the skimmer cone is φ0.4 mm. There are two types of material used,

nickel (Ni) and platinum (Pt).

The base material of the sampling cone is Cu and the tip of the cone is Ni. The

skimmer cone is all Ni. Pt has to be used for HF solutions and higher

concentration of acids. The base material is Cu and the tip of the cones is Pt

for the sampling and skimmer cone.

There are two types of skimmer base: stainless steel and brass. The brass base

can be used for both the Ni and Pt skimmer cones. The stainless steel base is

only used and recommended for the Ni skimmer cone.

When H

and H

are analyzed, the Pt interfaces should be used.

Each interface normally lasts more than one year, although it depends on the

type of samples analyzed and the plasma conditions. If the interface is

removed and cleaned more often, for example when switching between clean

and dirty matrices, the interface lifetime will be reduced due to physical wear.

NOTE

When 10% H

or 1% H

are analyzed continually, a sampling cone with a larger

diameter (18 mm) Pt insert (available from Spectron) is recommended.