REDUCING INTERFERENCES IN ELEMENTAL MASS SPECTROMETERS

摘要

A method of determining the elemental composition of a sample by mass spectrometry comprising the steps of: a) mass analysing the sample; b) generating a list of possible constituents of the sample, each constituent having a known mass-to-charge ratio; c) assigning a prior probability distribution to the said list of possible constituents; d) defining a set of trial compositions based on steps b) and c); e) defining a trial mass spectrum taking into account the instrumental responsivity of the mass spectrometer; f) defining a posterior probability distribution to compare the trial mass spectra and the experimental mass spectrum; h) generating trial sets of possible compositions of the sample consistent with the posterior probability distribution; i) using the trial sets and associated likelihoods to obtain mean values for the amount of each said constituent of the sample and associated uncertainties.