Books and Software
Getting Serious about ICPMS 181 pages in length and supplemented by more than 600 references, provides both a descriptive and comprehensive review of this topic. It is complemented by Chapter 5, in which fundamental aspects of sample introduction in ICP spectrometry, such as the measurement and interpretation of aerosol droplet size distribution, are discussed. The various components of the ICP systems used in ICPMS instrumentation are reviewed in Chapter 4. Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry Chapters 6-9 are devoted exclusively to ICPMS. Chapter 6 provides an up-to-date Edited by Akbar Montaser survey of the types of low- and high-resoluJohn Wiley & Sons tion instrumentation available, and Chapter 605 Third Ave. 7, an overview of the analytical characterisNew York, NY 10158 tics of ICPMS, is contributed by Gary Hor1998, 964 op, $149.50 lick. Chapter 8 is a readable treatment of fundamental considerations in ICPMS, inReaders familiar with either edition of Montaser's previous book, Inductivell Cou- cluding properties of the ICP as an ion pled Plasmas in Analytical Atomic Spec- source, the sampling of ions from an ICP, and the influence ofspacecharge effects in trometry, will bb eelighted to see that the ICPMS instrumentation. Chapter 9 is exsame high editorial standard has been clusively devoted to applications of ICPMS. maintained in his latest contribution. AlAlthough the author does not claim to prothough the title suggests that this book is vide a comprehensive review, the chapter devoted entirely to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS), there does provide a balanced overview and it is supplemented by more than 500 references. is also extensive coverage of earlier literature on inductively coupled plasma atomic Thefinaltwo chapters of this book proemission spectrometry (ICPAES), much of vide an overview of two topics which, while which is relevant to ICPMS. somewhat removed from the mainstream of ICPMS, are still of great interest in reThe book is composed of 11 chapters search laboratories: MS with mixed gas written by 27 authors. The first five chapand helium ICPs and MS with microwaveters cover topics that are common to both induced plasmas. The book concludes with ICPAES and ICPMS, such as the generaa 24-page subject index, which, although tion of radio frequency ICPs and sample preparation and introduction. A short intro- not exhaustive, is certainly detailed enough to be useful. ductory chapter provides an overview of the two techniques, followed by a chapter The production quality of this book, by H. M. Kingston and P. J. Waller on the with the collaborative efforts of nearly 30 art and science of microwave-assisted sam- authors, is a remarkable achievement. ple digestion procedures for the preparaMuch of the credit for its excellence can tion of samples for trace and ultratrace elebe attributed to Montaser's encouragemental analysis. Chapter 3 provides a dement and unyielding editorial standards scriptive review of the various means of for his contributing authors. The project introducing liquid, solid and gaseous sam- was apparently completed in only three ples into ICPMS instruments. This chapter, years, and the references (some as recent 480 A
Ana+lytical Chemistry News & Features, July 1, 1999
as 1997) in all of the chapters are remarkably up-to-date. This book is certainly the most comprehensive treatise on ICPMS currently available and an invaluable guide to the literature. It is sturdily bound; my copy remains in pristine condition after several months of regular use by me and my colleagues. The text is complemented by many figures, including numerous color plates. This is a book that all serious students and practitioners of ICPMS will want to add to their collection. Reviewed by J. W. McLaren, National ResearchCouncilof Canada
Reference Guide for GC/MS
Practical Introduction to GC-MS Analysis with Quadrupoles Michael Oehme John Wiley-VCH 605 Third Ave. New York, NY 10158 1998, 195 pp, $47
The author presents a tidy reference book on GC/MS with quadrupoles that is informative and, for the most part, easy-to-read. The basics of GC/MS have changed little over the past two decades, but instrumentation is much more readily affordable and available, both for industry and academia. More and more users appear to have less
formal training in either GC or MS (let alone GC/MS) and instead rely heavily on software macros written by the instrument manufacturer and online tutorials. Inevitably, new users understand less and less about what they are doing and why they are doing it. This situation is diametrically opposed to the needs of most modern analytical laboratories where there is an emphasis on trace-level determinations and the robust methods of analysis. This book aims tofilla void in this arena by describing the construction, operation, optimization maintenance, and troubleshooting of GC/MS systems in detail. This book should appeal to a wide variety of potential GC/MS users including those with or without advanced formal education perience in either GC or MS In the introduction, the author assumes that the reader has sufficient insight into the interpretation of mass spectra and a sound knowledge of high-resolution GC. Clearly, the more knowledge the reader has in either area, the more optimal results they are likely to obtain from GC/MS; how ever, the book doesn't entirely live up to this billing. Fortunately, there are ample practical tips in both areas to benefit the relative newcomer and the moderately experienced user, as well. The construction and operation principles of quadrupole mass spectrometers are clearly presented. There is excellent coverage of mass resolution, ion sources (EI and CI), electron multipliers, and the high-vacuum system. Somewhat puzzling is the comparison of ion sources between quadrupole and magnetic-sector instruments, along with a very limited discussion of the relative merits of quadrupole versus ion trap mass analyzers. More discussion on this latter topic would be beneficial, becauseoneof the likely hurdles faced by readers is deciding upon which type of instrument to buy. Additionally, the awkward presentation
of differential equations, albeit simplified, describing the stability of ion trajectories seems to go beyond the needs of the intended reader. However, the good news is that this section only occupies a couple of pages, and the intimidated reader can skip this section without jeopardizing comprehension of the remaining text. In the chapter on quantitative analysis
blank signal arising from the use of isotopically labeled internal standards. Erroneously presented is the rather dogmatic description and treatment of blank values. Admittedly, this discussion is given in the context of a single European standard; however, in a global sense, I must disagree with die author when he says, "The blank of the whole method ... should... correspond to the detection limit. There is no causal or statistical connection between blanks and measured levels, and any distribution of blanks is random. Subtraction of blanks from results is not, therefore, allowed." There are many cases in which there does exist a causal connection between blanks and measured levels (e.g. the contamination problem with labeled standards noted above) Moreover there are several national and international standards that require bllnk correction Finally the method detection limit is ultimately determined by the precision nf the blank responses not by the level of the blanks
Fortunately,thereare ample practicaltipsin both areas to benefit the relative newcomer and the moderately experience user as well. and quality control, the author gives some very good guidance on issues related to method development. While a bit far afield from the instrumental aspects of GC/MS, they are undeniably crucial in the context of the overall analytical method. Included here are such topics as the use of different types of internal standards (e.g., extraction standards versus recovery standards); the use of isotopically labeled compounds as internal standards; and quantitation criteria, including discussion on dealing with blanks and limits of detection. In my view, this section contains one omission and one error. Omitted is a discussion of the unavoidable "contamination" of labeled compounds with their unlabeled analogs. For example, it is not unusual for the isotopic purity of labeled materials to be only 97-98%. Therefore, there is a distinct possibility of contamination and a
The chapter on mass spectra interpretation and computer-based library searching is well-done and informative. Although the book assumes an indepth knowledge of spectral interpretation, there are lots of good tidbits to help the novice and average user. Anyone who adds spectra to inhouse libraries or considers the relative merits of one library versus another (e.g., in the specification and purchase of a new instrument) should read this section firstt The author concedes in the Preface that it was not his intent to give exhaustive citations to the literature. As a compromise, most chapters contain 6-12 selective citations, many of which are from textbooks that are more than 10 years old. Based on the book's intent, this is not a limitation but, rather, a potential advantage; it gives the relative newcomer to thisfielda good source of basic, fundamental information. What is a slight limitation, however, is the
Analytical Chemistry News & Features, July 1, 1999 481 A
Books and
Software
random ordering of the literature citations in the reference sections. Another slightly bigger disappointment is the subject index. Although not an exhaustive index in the first place, an unusual number of entries are either set incorrectly (e.g., as a subheading of the previous main heading), or they refer to pages on which the keyword is not found. Overall, I found this to be a useful, easyto-read, and enjoyable book. This book would be a welcome addition to most laboratories, as a starting text for relative newcomers and as a refresher text for more advanced users. Reviewed by Michael W.Ogden,R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
Collect Your Wandering Thoughts
NuGenesis 1.1 Mantra Software 91 Bartlett St. Marlboro, MA 01752 (508) 786-9922 http://www. mantrasoft. com $5000 workstation version; $15,000 and up for multiuser versions Requires: Windows 95, 98, or 2000
Imagine a program that lets you configure a virtual printer that accepts the output from any Windows 95,98, or 2000 application and directs it to a versatile database. Imagine that same program can store instrument output (e.g., images, text, tabular data, and plots) and Web pages. Add the ability to "tag" any of the stored objects with metadata, which makes the material searchable, sortable, and mergeable. Couple all this with output capabilities that can create compound documents with all of the object types, each fully scaleable and moveable, and you have Mantra Software's NuGenesis. How can a program accomplish all this? It captures the print stream from the appli482 A
cation; converts and stores the output as a vector-scaleable, text-searchable, compressed, and encrypted object labeled with metatags; and, in the process, provides security and compliance features. Your wandering thoughts can be collected, analyzed, shared, resolved, and archived. The product offers lab managers the ability to electronically scissor and paste reports together from a variety of instrumental and personnel sources. Because the capture engine for the print stream will handle almost any instrument report output, a scientist can gather GC, LC, MS, MS/MS, MALDI, platereader, gel-scan, and other data into database entries with user-assigned tag identifiers. The records are stored as 32-bit objects with the possibility of 600 dpi color. Records can be resized without image degradation. Lossless image compression provides a 50fold reduction in size allowing experimental records to be stored long-term as vectorscalable information The program supports conversion of text and tabular data to TrueType fonts which store the letters as outlines that can be scaled and rotated The patented database storage mechanism cleanly resolves the nolwlot nature of the Office 97anH Office ?000 suites sf nrncrrams making the final merger quite seamless The various data types can be entered in a manual mode, which leaves the operator under complete control of every step, or in a batch mode, which facilitates the entry of many similar tests. Once in the database, the items can be
filtered to extract items with related tags, and these can be posted as a new record and consolidated for easy report generation. Tag fields include log-in name, computer ID, domain name, and date/time, as well as user-entered fields such as batch ID, user name, report ID, and a comment field. Tag fields can be filtered using Boolean, numeric, and wild-card options. Files may have hidden columns, and textual fields within the records may be searched. NuGenesis 1.1 supports 32-bit architecture internally and 16-bit externally. The reviewed copy was supported by Microsoft Access 97. NuGenesis slso oupports Oracle database engines, making it a logical choice for use in regulated industries where multilevel entry security is required. The program's support of ODBC-compliant databases makes this possible. ODBC stands for Open DataBase Connectivity, a standard database access method developed by IMicrosoft. ODBC makes it possible to access any data from any application—regardless of which database management system (DBMS) is handling the data—by inserting a database driver. This middle layer translates the application's data queries into commands that the DBMS understands Concurrent operation with Access and Oracll is therefore simple Evolution to Microsoft's other database SO/ Server 70 ,s also nossible .n NuGenesis each database is assigned a "data source name" at creation I Jn to four databases can be onen at one time makincr merges simple.
Six different instrument outputs captured, archived in a database, and merged into a single, expressive Word document using NuGenesis.
Analytical Chemistry News & Features, July 1, 1999
