Precision and Speed High-performance ICP-OES and ICP-MS

SPECTRO ARCOS – The Ultimate ICP-OES for Sample Throughput and Sensitivity

SPECTRO Analytical Instruments unveils the latest state-of-the-art ICP-OES instrument - the SPECTRO ARCOS. The instrument is especially suited for such demanding analytical applications as
ultra-trace analysis for environmental applications or line-rich spectra for metal applications or the analysis of organic materials in petrochemistry. The new instrument’s high performance results
from the two completely new major components: the optics and the generator.

In the optic, SPECTRO utilizes 32 linear CCD detectors in an optimized Paschen-Runge mount ORCA (Optimized Rowland Circle Alignment) for the simultaneous recording of the wavelengths between 130 and 770 nm.

However, what makes the optic so special is the enormous focal length of 750 mm, which improves the resolution by a factor of two. Coupled with the higher resolution is an improvement in the signal to background ratio, which has also been bettered by a factor of up to 2.

The other major development in the SPECTRO ARCOS is its generator. Here too, major technological advances are combined that result in significant economic improvements. The generator uses a tube with a maximum input power of 5 kilowatts. There are enough high-power reserves for even peak loads such as for the analysis of volatile organic materials, so that the generator has an excellent lifetime. The low-temperature ceramic tube is forced air cooled by an internal ventilation system, eliminating the need for uneconomical liquid coolants.

Based upon these improvements, the SPECTRO ARCOS is extremely fast, creating and processing a complete spectrum in two seconds. In time resolution mode, sampling frequencies of up to 10 measurements per second can be achieved enabling hyphenated measurements, for example, the analysis of trivalent and hexavalent chromium using ICP-OES.

SPECTRO MS - The first fully simultaneous measuring mass spectrometer

SPECTRO presents the first fully simultaneous measuring mass spectrometer with inductively coupled plasma in the world: the SPECTRO MS. The SPECTRO MS records the entire elemental spectrum between lithium and uranium for every analysis.Users achieve a greatly increased sample throughput rate and much better precision and accuracy compared to using a sequential mass spectrometer.

The SPECTRO MS delivers not only much more precise and reproducible results than a conventional mass spectrometer, but also measures a great deal faster; opening new perspectives and applications for laboratories. Simultaneous recording of the entire spectrum is enabled by a series of newly designed high-end components:

• A novel, extremely efficient ion optic
• A double focusing sector field mass spectrometer with Mattauch-Herzogdesign
• An extremely powerful Direct Charge Detector with 4,800 channels

Other technologies are closely related to those of the ICP-OES flagship, the SPECTRO ARCOS. A robust, free-running 27.12 MHz generator is used as the plasma generator, guaranteeing extremely stable power coupling in the plasma. The range of applications for the new SPECTRO MS is diverse. In addition to research laboratories, simultaneous mass spectrometry is attractive for many branches
of industry: Environmental, chemical and pharmaceutical laboratories profit greatly from the instrument’s detection limits and sample throughput rates. Precious metal processors and refineries will appreciate the high precision of the instrument. New applications can be developed with the option to examine isotope ratios together with the ability to transfer the precision of the isotope ratio analysis to the quantitative determination of element contents using isotope dilution: In this way, geology laboratories can more accurately characterize samples.