A liquid electrode tip has a housing with a top, a bottom and at least one peripheral side wall. The housing has a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet. The liquid outlet is located at the top of the housing. A solution reservoir is positioned within the housing. The solution reservoir has a solution inlet in fluid communication with the liquid inlet and a solution outlet in fluid communication with the liquid outlet. A conductor is positioned within the housing with at least a portion of the conductor being submerged by a liquid in the solution reservoir. A staging area at the top of the housing is provided into which the liquid from the solution reservoir flows from the liquid outlet.

A liquid electrode tip has a housing with a top, a bottom and at least one peripheral side wall. The housing has a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet. The liquid outlet is located at the top of the housing. A solution reservoir is positioned within the housing. The solution reservoir has a solution inlet in fluid communication with the liquid inlet and a solution outlet in fluid communication with the liquid outlet. A conductor is positioned within the housing with at least a portion of the conductor being submerged by a liquid in the solution reservoir. A staging area at the top of the housing is provided into which the liquid from the solution reservoir flows from the liquid outlet.

The present invention relates to an optical emission spectrometer with at least one spark chamber. It comprises an oblong electrode being arranged inside thereof and at least one inlet for an inert gas. Here, the inert gas inlet is arranged such that the inert gas flows around the electrode along its longitudinal axis. In the sense of the invention, in the inert gas entry and/or between inert gas entry and electrode at least one sieve-like insert is provided and/or the electrode in the flow cross-section of the inter gas flow is surrounded by at least one sieve-like insert.

The present invention relates to an optical emission spectrometer with at least one spark chamber. It comprises an oblong electrode being arranged inside thereof and at least one inlet for an inert gas. Here, the inert gas inlet is arranged such that the inert gas flows around the electrode along its longitudinal axis. In the sense of the invention, in the inert gas entry and/or between inert gas entry and electrode at least one sieve-like insert is provided and/or the electrode in the flow cross-section of the inter gas flow is surrounded by at least one sieve-like insert.

A plasma spectroscopy analysis method includes a preliminary addition process in which a bonding agent that is an agent other than DMSA is added to the specimen collected from a living body to which meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) is administered, a concentration process in which the analyte heavy metal ions in the specimen at a vicinity of one of a pair of electrodes by applying a voltage to the pair of electrodes, and a detection process in which plasma is generated by applying a voltage to the pair of electrodes, and luminescence of the analyte metal ions caused by the plasma is detected.

A plasma spectroscopy analysis method includes a preliminary addition process in which a bonding agent that is an agent other than DMSA is added to the specimen collected from a living body to which meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) is administered, a concentration process in which the analyte heavy metal ions in the specimen at a vicinity of one of a pair of electrodes by applying a voltage to the pair of electrodes, and a detection process in which plasma is generated by applying a voltage to the pair of electrodes, and luminescence of the analyte metal ions caused by the plasma is detected.

Provided are methods, apparatuses and systems for enhanced determination of the gas composition of a sample gas using glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy (GD-OES) for gas analysis. A first method comprises: generating one or more oscillating electromagnetic fields within a plasma cell to excite particles within the cell, to produce a glow discharge plasma in the plasma cell, and controlling the operating conditions for the plasma cell while flowing a gas mixture through the plasma cell to maintain glow discharge optical emissions from the plasma within a desired operating range; and monitoring one or more glow discharge optical emissions from the plasma in the plasma cell; wherein said monitoring of the optical emissions comprises measuring the optical emissions, or measuring a signal that correlates with the optical emissions, at twice the plasma excitation frequency; and processing the signal during each excitation cycle of the electromagnetic excitation, to determine the concentration of a gas within a gas mixture flowing through the plasma cell.

Provided are methods, apparatuses and systems for enhanced determination of the gas composition of a sample gas using glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy (GD-OES) for gas analysis. A first method comprises: generating one or more oscillating electromagnetic fields within a plasma cell to excite particles within the cell, to produce a glow discharge plasma in the plasma cell, and controlling the operating conditions for the plasma cell while flowing a gas mixture through the plasma cell to maintain glow discharge optical emissions from the plasma within a desired operating range; and monitoring one or more glow discharge optical emissions from the plasma in the plasma cell; wherein said monitoring of the optical emissions comprises measuring the optical emissions, or measuring a signal that correlates with the optical emissions, at twice the plasma excitation frequency; and processing the signal during each excitation cycle of the electromagnetic excitation, to determine the concentration of a gas within a gas mixture flowing through the plasma cell.

A solution-cathode glow discharge mass spectrometry (SCGD-MS) apparatus comprises a SCGD source and a mass spectrometer. The SCGD source may comprise conductive rods, a power source, and a capillary. A method for ionizing an analyte comprises flowing an electrically conductive liquid onto a conductive rod, applying an electric potential to a second conductive rod such that a plasma discharge forms between the first conductive rod and the electrically conductive liquid to produce ions, and separating the ions in a mass spectrometer. The analyte may be a polypeptide that may be contacted with trypsin. The analyte may be a solid, liquid, gas, chemical complex, or ion in solution. The method may comprise sequencing the polypeptide.

A solution-cathode glow discharge mass spectrometry (SCGD-MS) apparatus comprises a SCGD source and a mass spectrometer. The SCGD source may comprise conductive rods, a power source, and a capillary. A method for ionizing an analyte comprises flowing an electrically conductive liquid onto a conductive rod, applying an electric potential to a second conductive rod such that a plasma discharge forms between the first conductive rod and the electrically conductive liquid to produce ions, and separating the ions in a mass spectrometer. The analyte may be a polypeptide that may be contacted with trypsin. The analyte may be a solid, liquid, gas, chemical complex, or ion in solution. The method may comprise sequencing the polypeptide.