Inductively Coupled Plasma

Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) is a technique used in analytical chemistry to analyze tiny amounts of elements in samples. It creates a very hot, electrically charged gas (plasma) by using electromagnetic fields generated by a coil. The plasma reaches temperatures over 10,000°C, causing the sample’s atoms to become excited or ionized. As these excited atoms and ions return to lower energy states, they emit light at specific wavelengths. By measuring this light with specialized instruments, scientists can identify and quantify the elements present in the sample with high precision.