This guide is intended for anyone operating and preparing samples and standards for measurement using ICP (ICP hereafter refers to either ICP-MS or ICP-OES). Our last guide,
Trace Analysis: A Guide for Attaining Reliable Measurements, focused on the task of achieving reliable trace measurements by ICP. This series will not focus on any single topic, but rather upon a multitude of day-to-day tasks required by all ICP operators. The topics will be fundamental in nature and are intended as an aid for the analyst who is completely new or somewhat new to the technique of ICP.