Application of the generalized internal reference method for the characterization of parameters causing drift in inductively-coupled plasma emission spectrometry

Drift in signals limits the performance of inductively-coupled plasma (i.c.p.) emission spectrometry. The generalized internal reference method was applied to deconvolute the drift of an i.c.p. system. The plasma parameters were correlated to the drift components and the error boundary for the method was found. In the system studied, it was found that fluctuations in the nebulizer uptake rate were responsible for short-term signal changes. Long-term signal drift was caused mainly by flow variations of both cooling gas and aerosol carrier gas. The incident power to the plasma was found to be stable compared to other sources of drift. The method was found to be adequate for evaluating the origins of i.c.p. drift.