Laser Ablation ICP-MS Developments and Trends for 2003

This annual review of laser-ablation inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) covers the year 2003. Significant advances were made in understanding laser-sample interactions. In particular, research defined the distribution of particle sizes produced by the interplay of laser wavelength, laser pulse width and the gas environment of ablation. A link between particle sizes and elemental and isotopic fractionation at both the ablation site and in the ICP was established. Experimental 15 7 nm and femtosecond laser systems were tested with promising results. The number of applications of LA-ICP-MS in geology and environmental Earth science continued to grow with particular interest in element concentration and isotope ratio profiling of materials, linking composition to time scales. In situ isotopic ratio measurements were increasingly made using multicollector magnetic sector ICP-MS instruments. Other applications of wide interest included bulk sampling of rocks and ores prepared as lithium borate glasses; low level analysis of platinum-group elements, rhenium and gold in sulfides, metal and silicates; in situ uranium-lead zircon geochronology; and melt and fluid inclusion analysis.