Applied Elemental Analysis troubleshooting
- Duration: 2.50 hours for on-demand
- Experience level: Advanced
- Delivery methods: Offsite training & consultancy | Online | Onsite training & consultancy | Tailored training |
- Type of course: Universal
- Applicable to manufacturer(s): Agilent | Thermo |
- CPD Approved: Not yet approved
- Scheduled course price: £162.50 + TAX per delegate
- Course discounts: RSC HEaTED CAMS Cambridge Network members receive a discount on this course
Your applied guide to diagnosing and solving problems for elemental analysis
Module 9 of the Complete Elemental Analysis and module 3 of The Elemental Analysis Clinic course.
This ninth module is designed for professionals, students, and chemists, providing a structured approach to troubleshooting atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and ICP-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Helping you to diagnose faults, identify root causes and implement effective corrective actions. This module covers troubleshooting across AAS, ICP-OES and ICP-MS systems, including problem analytes, gases and plumbing and sample introduction, alongside instrumental optimisation and common everyday problems that can occur when performing elemental analysis.
This module can be combined with any of the other nine modules in the Complete elemental analysis to tailor your training needs.
Why should I join?
On completion of this module 9 training, you will develop the skills needed investigate and resolve common issues in elemental analysis, giving you:
- A systematic approach to diagnosing elemental analysis problems
- Understanding of how instrument components interact and influence analytical performance
- Insight into common faults affecting sensitivity, reproducibility, and data integrity
- Practical guidance on identifying contamination, leaks, blockages, and vacuum-related issues
- A detailed understanding of how to use tune reports and system suitability to diagnose problems
- A valuable refresher for analysts seeking to minimise instrument downtime and improve productivity
What would I learn?
This module focuses on aspects of troubleshooting AAS, ICP-OES and ICP-MS instrumentation, you will learn:
- A structured troubleshooting workflow including problem identification, symptom evaluation, fault isolation, corrective action, verification, and prevention
- How to distinguish between instrument problems, sample-related, and method-related issues
- How sample composition, concentration, stability, contamination, and storage conditions influence analytical results
- Common gas supply and plumbing issues including contamination, leaks, and pressure issues
- Troubleshooting techniques for liquid autosamplers
- The common causes of consumable damage and wear-and-tear
- The interpretation of tune reports, system suitability reports, and vacuum system performance indicators in elemental analysis systems
- How to diagnose contamination sources, interferences, and memory effects
What knowledge will I gain?
By the end of the module, you will:
- Understand how to apply a logical troubleshooting process that reduces unnecessary maintenance and component replacement
- Be able to identify whether a problem originates from the sample, method, instrument, or data system
- Understand common causes of contamination and methods for isolating contamination sources
- Be able to recognise within data where contamination may be coming from
- Learn what may be cause of failing to ignite the argon plasma for ICP and the flame for AAS analysis
- Gain insight into how optimisation measures can help troubleshoot issues including uptake rate, wavelength calibrations, and system suitability checks
Is this course for me?
This course is designed for anyone who would like to learn troubleshooting for elemental analysis.
- Laboratory analysts & technicians using elemental analysis
- Laboratory or line managers overseeing elemental analysis instruments
- Data analysts and report writers who work with elemental analysis
- Service engineers who want chemistry focused introduction to elemental analysis
- Sales, commercial or marketing teams who work with elemental analysis components, instruments, or services in anyway and would like more in-depth knowledge
If elemental analysis touches your work in any way, this well-planned course delivered by experts in the field equips you to understand the science behind these techniques.
