Multiple Collector ICP-MS: technological advances in high precision isotope ratio measurements across the Periodic Table
File(s)
Accepted version
Author(s)
Nielsen, Sune G
Heard, Andy W
Hu, Justin Y
Rehkämper, Mark
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
This chapter (Multiple Collector ICP-MS: Technological advances in high precision isotope ratio measurements across the Periodic Table) is a contribution to the Geostandards and Geoanalytical Research Handbook of Rock and Mineral Analysis – an online textbook that is a
fully revised and updated edition of A Handbook of Silicate Rock Analysis (P. J. Potts, 1987, Blackie, Glasgow). The MC-ICP-MS has since its first commercialization about three decades ago become one of the most widely used platforms in Earth sciences and beyond for producing isotope ratio data across
much of the periodic table. The success of MC-ICP-MS relies on continuing technological developments, which have allowed increasingly diverse isotope composition measurements at ever-improving precision. In this review article, we describe the fundamentals of the original technology and the developments that continue to render MC-ICP-MS cutting edge instrumentation. We outline the strategies for data processing and sample introduction that can be chosen depending on the type of element and isotope measurement that is targeted. We also provide a broad overview of the applications that have followed as the technology became increasingly powerful. These include radiogenic, nucleosynthetic, cosmogenic, and stable isotope
measurements. Finally, we discuss some of the latest advances in MC-ICP-MS technology including collision reaction cell applications and triple isotope measurements that can distinguish different isotope fractionation mechanisms.
fully revised and updated edition of A Handbook of Silicate Rock Analysis (P. J. Potts, 1987, Blackie, Glasgow). The MC-ICP-MS has since its first commercialization about three decades ago become one of the most widely used platforms in Earth sciences and beyond for producing isotope ratio data across
much of the periodic table. The success of MC-ICP-MS relies on continuing technological developments, which have allowed increasingly diverse isotope composition measurements at ever-improving precision. In this review article, we describe the fundamentals of the original technology and the developments that continue to render MC-ICP-MS cutting edge instrumentation. We outline the strategies for data processing and sample introduction that can be chosen depending on the type of element and isotope measurement that is targeted. We also provide a broad overview of the applications that have followed as the technology became increasingly powerful. These include radiogenic, nucleosynthetic, cosmogenic, and stable isotope
measurements. Finally, we discuss some of the latest advances in MC-ICP-MS technology including collision reaction cell applications and triple isotope measurements that can distinguish different isotope fractionation mechanisms.
Date Issued
2026-09-01
Date Acceptance
2026-06-01
Citation
Geostandards and Geoanalytical Research, 2026, 50 (3), pp.519-554
ISSN
1639-4488
Publisher
Wiley
Start Page
519
End Page
554
Journal / Book Title
Geostandards and Geoanalytical Research
Volume
50
Issue
3
Copyright Statement
Copyright © 2026 The Author(s). Geostandards and Geoanalytical Research © 2026 International Association of Geoanalysts. This is the author’s accepted manuscript made available under a CC-BY licence in accordance with Imperial’s Research Publications Open Access policy (www.imperial.ac.uk/oa-policy)
License URL
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2026-07-31