5. Conclusion

ICP-MS is a powerful tool for trace element analysis, thanks to its sensitivity, specificity, wide linearity range and multi-element capability. Despite its high cost, this technique is now accessible to most research and even routine laboratories. It is easily coupled with HPLC and compatible with its main constraints. The HPLC-ICP-MS system is widely used as the main technique in a variety of fields, including chemistry, the environment, medicine and pharmaceuticals. It is particularly well suited to speciation studies of trace elements present in natural or industrial samples. Technological advances have made it possible to reduce analysis times and increase sensitivity and selectivity in these often complex matrices.

Today, it is recognized that the direct speciation analysis of an element in a sample is no longer sufficient to respond to societal issues. Indeed,...