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Your Beginner’s Guide to Elemental Analysis

A beginner-friendly, 1‑day classroom-based course introducing the fundamentals of elemental analysis, including inductively coupled plasma with optical emission spectroscopy (ICP‑OES), atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES), mass spectrometry (ICP‑MS) & atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). Ideal for newcomers or those looking for a structured refresher, this course explains how these analytical techniques identify & quantify elements in complex samples & how they’re used throughout modern laboratories. This course breaks down complex instrumentation & concepts into easy-to-understand ideas, helping you to build skills that you can use in the lab.

Why Join the Absolute Basics of Elemental Analysis?

On completion, you will understand what elemental analysis is; the techniques ability to identify & quantify the elemental composition of a sample; how AAS, ICP-OES & ICP-MS work; & why they are some of the most used analytical chemistry techniques.

This course gives you:

• A good understanding of techniques for elemental analysis, their differences and similarities
• Clear explanations of these key techniques & principles
• Insight into instrument components such as torches, nebulisers and the different types of detectors
• The understanding of basic data analysis & method parameters
• Familiarity with basic sample preparation procedures
• Real‑world animated applications from pharmaceutical, environmental & clinical, to food, forensic & petrochemical industries
• A great summary of these techniques & a glossary of acronyms to aid understanding
• A solid starting point before progressing to advanced training

What You Will Learn on this Elemental Analysis Course

This beginner‑level course focuses on the what, how, why, where & when of elemental analysis, including:

What elemental analysis is:

1. How elemental composition is identified & measured
2. What AAS, ICP-OES & ICP-MS are
3. The theory & common terminology associated with elemental analysis

How elemental analysis works:

1. The science & chemistry behind elemental analysis
2. How instruments work, following the cycle of a sample from introduction to detection
3. How AAS, ICP-OES & ICP-MS detect & measure analytes such as metals

Why we use elemental analysis:

1. The analytical problems elemental analysis can solve
2. Basic qualitative & quantitative data analysis

Where elemental analysis is involved:

1. The types of samples and sample preparation
2. Where interferences can occur & mitigations against these

When elemental analysis is the right choice:

1. Interactive application examples from industries including pharmaceutical, environmental, food & drink, clinical, forensic & petrochemical