PRESENTORS: BET-CHT-S-2

Inductively DOLINDO, JEMMERIAH A.

Coupled Plasma
Optical Emission EVANGELIO, MARY LYNETTE M.

Spectroscopy
(ICP-OES) FRUGAL, CHRISTINE JADE
Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical
Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES)
• Elemental analysis technique that
derives its analytical data from the
emission spectra of elements
excited within a high-temperature
plasma.
Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical
Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES)
• Measure atomic concentration
through spectral line emission.
• Requires element standard solutions
with known concentration.
• Samples must be dissolved in water.
APPLICATIONS
• Trace analysis of environmental soil and water samples
• Assessment of metal ores for mass balances and process
control
• Trace metal analysis of any material that can be digested
into an aqueous matrix
• Boron and Lithia in glasses
• Forensic analysis
• Trace analysis of food and drink samples such as; metals in
wine; and elements bound to proteins
• Metal release testing of tableware.
INDUSTRIES USING ICP-OES
• Environmental testing
• Food and drinks
• Materials
• Minerals
• Glass, ceramics and refractories
• Healthcare.
PARTS & FUNCTION
NEBULIZER

• Turns the liquid into a fine aerosol using a

stream of argon gas. This aerosol passes
into the spray chamber, where larger
droplets are removed from the aerosol.
The rest of the aerosol continues, into the
plasma torch.
 PLASMA TORCH

• The energy source for the analysis. It looks like a flame on a glass candle,
with a metal coil around the candle. A spark, discharged into a stream of
argon gas creates the plasma. Energy passes from the metal coil around the
torch into the argon, sustaining the plasma.
RADIO-FREQUENCY GENERATOR

• A box of electronics that generates the radio frequency energy that

passes through the metal coils around the plasma torch. The
instrument operator can control the power of the RF, changing the
energy level of the plasma. If there are only low concentrations of
elements in a sample, the RF power might need to be increased,
while the flow of sample into the torch is decreased. These changes
mean the sample aerosol moves slower through a higher energy
plasma.
 OPTICAL SPECTROMETER

• As the excited electrons return to a lower energy level, light at a very

specific wavelength is emitted—depending on the element and the
energy level. If there are many different atoms in the sample, then
light at many different wavelengths will be emitted.
DETECTOR

• They are now typically charge coupled devices (CCD) that look
like computer chips. The surface of the chip is divided up into
pixels, each of which measure the photons of light of a different
wavelength.
 WORKING PRINCIPLE

Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission

Spectroscopy (ICP-OES) is a technique that
uses plasma as a source and relies on optical
emission for analysis. It is used to determine
how much of certain elements are in a
sample.
The sample is not simply placed in-
between source and detector. ICP-
OES is mainly used for liquid
samples.
For analysis, samples generally are dissolved to form an
aqueous solution of known weight and dilution. The solution is
aspirated into the nebulizer, which transforms it into an
aerosol. The aerosol then proceeds into the plasma, it is
transformed into atoms and ions in the discharge, and the
atoms (elements) are excited and emit light at characteristic
wavelengths. The intensity of the light at the wavelengths
associated with each element is proportional to that
element’s concentration.
The ICP-OES principle uses the fact that
atoms and ions can absorb energy to move
electrons from the ground state to an excited
state. In ICP-OES, the source of that energy is
heat from argon plasma that operates at
10,000 kelvin.
EXAMPLE

• Energy from the heat

of the plasma causes
electrons to become
‘excited’ and move to
higher energy levels.
The amount of energy
required for the
electrons to move
between levels
corresponds to very
specific wavelengths of
light.
When excited electrons in a lead atom
return to the ground state, they emit light
at those very specific wavelengths. The
ICP-OES principle measures the amount of
emitted light at each wavelength and uses
this information to calculate the
concentration of lead in the sample.
• To calibrate an ICP-
OES, solutions
containing known
amounts of each
element are measured.
The calibration curve
determines the
relationship between
the intensity of light
emitted at a specific
wavelength and the
concentration of the
element in the solution.
RESULTS
SPECTRA
CALIBRATION CURVE
QUESTION