INDUCTIVELY COUPLED PLASMA MASS SPECTROMETRY (ICP-MS)
Most common cations found in Alberta's groundwater includes: Sodium, Calcium, and Magnesium with average concentrations of 318, 4.5, and 0.9 mg/l respectively. Sources of cations in Alberta's groundwater is most typically through mineral dissolution of Halite, Gypsum, and Dolomite. ICP-MS is the best method to determine the concentrations of different cations in water, and thus, is used in testing Alberta's groundwater.
Sodium: Halite
Calcium: Gypsum
Magnesium: Dolomite
ICP-MS PROCESS
STEP 1:
Calibrate all equipment involved, and acidify the water sample to a pH lower than 2
STEP 3:
The plasma (partially ionizing argon gas) separates the individual ions in the sample, and are then ionized by the plasma to become detectable.
STEP 2:
The water sample is converted into aerosols using a Nebulizer.
STEP 4:
The ions are then extracted from the plasma using a quadrupole, and then detected by an electron multiplier. Once detected, the spectrometer can output and quantify the concentrations of each cation.