Agilent Community
Agilent Community
  • User
  • Site
  • Search the Community
  • User
Consumables
  • Technical Areas
Consumables
Wiki Simplified cone inspection with the new Agilent LED measuring magnifier
  • Announcements
  • Forum
  • Files
  • Wiki
  • More
  • Cancel
  • Consumables
  • A Beginner’s Guide to Hydrophobic Interaction Chromatography
  • A simple tip to protect your columns
  • A Tip for Preparing Robust and Consistent Mobile Phases
  • Achieve accurate and repeatable gas flow meter measurements
  • AdvanceBio Columns Blog Series
  • Agilent 123 Meter Sodium probe maintenance
  • Agilent Collection of Columns, Supplies, and Standards Resources
  • Analysis of microplastics in the environment
  • Analyzing ADCs by HIC
  • Avoiding downtime in the lab: top tips for GC/MS success
  • Best Practices for Aqueous Mobile Phases
  • Best Practices for Making Good Connections
  • Bio LC Column User Guides
  • Bursting Tubing and Columns (GC and HPLC)
  • Calculate the Maximum Allowable Working Pressure for Tubing
  • Calculating Column Volume
  • Cannabis Potency Testing: a Reliable, Cost-Effective Method
  • Carbohydrate Analyses in LC
  • Checking Your Intuition - Sub 2 µm vs Superficially Porous
  • Choosing the right GC Injection Technique
  • Choosing the right pore size for size exclusion chromatography
  • Columns, Supplies, and Standards Knowledgebase
  • Consumables Applications and Workflows
  • Consumables Recommended Supplies Lists for Agilent.com
  • Custom Product Request
  • Extreme Makeover – Derivatizations in Chromatography – Part 1 GC
  • Extreme Makeover – Derivatizations in Chromatography – Part 2 LC
  • Fake It Until You Make It: When BioInert Isn’t an Option
  • Flipping Amino Acid Analysis on Its Head
  • Glycans at a glance:  Analyzing therapeutic glycoproteins
  • Handle and Care of Syringes
  • Help! My Peaks Look Strange - Fronting and Tailing in GC
  • Help! My Peaks Look Strange - Saddle Points - LC/GC Troubleshooting
  • How do I select a Split/Splitless liner?
  • Hydrophobic Interaction Chromatography of Proteins and mAbs
  • Importance of Silica Particle Strength for Sub-2 µm SEC Columns
  • KB: Ferrules recommended for GC self-tightening column nut
  • LC and LC/MS Columns - USP Designations
  • LC Column User Guides
  • LC Method Translation - the Dwell Volume
  • Minimize spectroscopy workflow disruptions
  • Minimizing Metals for Best HILIC Results
  • More than just a drink: Analyzing the elemental composition of beer
  • Multi-Attribute Methods – Peptide Mapping Part IV
  • Must See Webinars
  • Nomenclature of CFC's/Freons/Halons/Coolants
  • Oligonucleotide Analysis - Unexpected Details Matter
  • Optimizing Bonding Chemistry for Sub-2 µm SEC Particles
  • Pass the Salt, Please – Mobile Phase Preparation for HIC
  • Pesticides and their stability during GC analyses
  • Pre-Columns - the forgotten art of using retention gaps
  • Problematic polar analytes? Hello HILIC…
  • Protecting your laboratory productivity
  • Recommended Reading
  • Sample Prep Pointers - Peptide Mapping Part I
  • Save your results with sample filtration
  • Simplified cone inspection with the new Agilent LED measuring magnifier
  • Software - Supported Method Development - The Scanview Application
  • Software tool for the ADM Flow Meter (G6691A)
  • Stay Safe: A Win-Win for Solvent Storage
  • Streamline your sample processing
  • The importance of chemical composition for vial performance
  • Tips & Tricks for Amino Acid Analysis – Part I
  • Tips & Tricks for Amino Acid Analysis – Part II
  • Tips & Tricks for Amino Acid Analysis – Part III
  • Tips & Tricks for Amino Acid Analysis – Part IV
  • Tips for Smooth Sailing with HIC
  • Troubleshooting HPLC autosamplers
  • Troubleshooting HPLC degassers
  • Troubleshooting Sequence Coverage – Peptide Mapping Part III
  • UltiMetal Plus Flexible Metal Ferrule
  • UV, MS, TFA, and Formic Acid – What to use? Peptide Mapping Part II
  • What are the typical % Gain or EHT values for hollow cathode lamps?
  • You Need Lamps or Chemical Standards for Atomic Absorption Single-Element Analyses?
Still Need Help?

Post your question in our User Forum or Contact Support.

Simplified cone inspection with the new Agilent LED measuring magnifier

Created by kylwilso kylwilso over 2 years ago | Last modified by Agilent Agilent over 2 years ago

Dirty, blocked, or damaged interface cones can adversely impact the sensitivity, precision, and background of your ICP-MS results. These are all sound reasons to include regular, visual inspection of sampler and skimmer cones in your maintenance routines. This article looks at how to easily inspect cones and provides some simple handling and maintenance tips to help keep your ICP-MS in peak condition.

 

Up to now, cone inspection could only be achieved by dismantling the sample inlet system and taking the cones out to examine them under a microscope. Now, this important task is made more reliable and less tedious with the new Agilent LED measuring magnifier.  This field-proven tool allows you to inspect the condition of your sampler or skimmer cone, check for matrix build-up at the tip, and confirm whether cleaning/maintenance procedures have been successful. It also allows you to easily check if a cone needs replacing, which is often required due to an enlarged or damaged orifice. The magnifier is included with the Agilent cone care kit, meaning that you have all the supplies needed to replace and maintain your interface cones.

 

Handling recommendations

When the skimmer or sampler cones do need to be cleaned or replaced, make sure to handle with care. The delicate surface of the cones can be damaged easily, so we have put together six simple handling recommendations to help you:

• Only handle by the outer edges

• Never place the cone on its tip

• Ensure that the tip does not come into contact with any other surfaces

• Avoid excessive cleaning

• Sonicate cones in their own beaker

• Never soak cones in acid

 

Routine/simple cleaning procedure

A simple clean using water is all that is needed for the cones. Follow these three steps:

1. Rinse in de-ionized water

2. Place the cone in a beaker with the tip pointing upwards

3. Sonicate for at least five minutes in de-ionized water  

 

Next time you are inspecting or cleaning the cones in your ICP-MS, be sure to refer to this article for easy step-by-step recommendations. To learn more about skimmer and sampler cones, you can also check out this handy video. 

 

 

Keywords; ICP-MS, spectroscopy, skimmer cones, sampler cones, cone care, Agilent cone care, Agilent LED measuring magnifier

  • spectroscopy
  • agilent cone care
  • skimmer cones
  • ICP-MS
  • sampler cones
  • agilent led measuring magnifier
  • Share
  • History
  • More
  • Cancel
Anonymous
Related

Agilent Community Feedback

Agilent Community Feedback

×
We are glad this was helpful! We are sorry this was not helpful. If you still need assistance please create a community post or contact support. To help us improve, please provide any additional feedback. For full details of how we will treat your information, please view our privacy policy.
Submit Cancel
Submit Cancel
Recommended
Privacy Statement
Terms of Use
Contact Us
Site Help