New ICP-MS Software Upgrades and Expands ICP-MS Instrument Family

Agilent Technologies (Asia) release a new easy-to-learn version of its popular ICP-MS MassHunter Workstation software for the 7700 Series inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS). The company also expanded its ICP-MS instrument platform with the Agilent 7700e ICP-MS, designed to deliver high-performance, routine elemental analysis at an affordable price.

The updated ICP-MS MassHunter Workstation provides an all-new interface for instrument control, method setup and sequencing on Agilent 7700 Series ICP-MS systems. The new software release also introduces innovative productivity and ease-of-use features such as a startup scheduler and batch-and-queue sequence control. Fewer screens and a flat user interface simplify menu navigation, and all essential information is at the operator’s fingertips. The result is software that is easy to learn and simple to operate.

A key feature of the new ICP-MS MassHunter software is the use of pre-set methods, which allow users to choose from pre-defined sets of operating and acquisition conditions for the analysis of well-characterized sample types. As well as defining the auto-tuning parameters and the plasma conditions to be used, the pre-set methods also pre-load the analyte list, select the internal standards, set the integration times and define the preferred cell mode and any correction equations required for each analyte. The result is that many routine applications can be run without any manual tuning or method development, using consistent and optimum conditions regardless of the operator’s expertise.

The 7700e is a new addition to the Agilent 7700 Series ICP-MS family, developed with the emphasis on streamlined and simplified operation for common applications. With commonly required software functionality and a standardized hardware configuration, the 7700e offers users access to high-performance ICP-MS capabilities at an affordable price. This is especially useful where budgets are limited and ultimate flexibility is not required. The 7700e mainframe does not compromise on performance, as it keeps the same matrix-tolerant plasma, off-axis ion lens, ORS3 collision cell and nine orders of magnitude detector as the Agilent 7700x model.