Automation of ICP-MS Analytics – From Digitalisation to Smart Laboratory Routine

Digitalisation is fundamentally changing how routine processes are designed in analytical laboratories too. Manual pipetting steps, time-consuming calibrations, and complex dilution series still characterise many workflows. However, automated sample dispensers are increasingly taking over these tasks with precision and reproducibility — making them a relevant building block for quality assurance, efficiency, and data integrity in the modern laboratory.

PhytoLab has deliberately expanded its ICP-MS analytics with an automated dilution system. The aim is to reduce manual routine tasks and free up capacity for more demanding work: expert assessment, method development, and the continuous advancement of analytical quality.

How the Automated Dilution System Works and What It Can Do

The system enables precise, predefined dilutions up to a factor of 400, prepared automatically based on defined parameters — entirely without manual pipetting steps. In comparative testing, the automated dilution system delivered results that fully meet the requirements of our quality assurance in terms of precision, accuracy, and reproducibility. Automation thus not only simplifies the workflow but simultaneously ensures a consistently high analytical standard.

In addition, the system features a reactive dilution function: if a sample falls outside the linear measurement range, the software detects this independently, automatically triggers an adjusted dilution, and repeats the measurement. This function is particularly relevant in the concentration range with high elemental concentrations; in residue analysis, it is used less frequently in our experience. Time-intensive repeat analyses are thereby significantly reduced.

Efficiency, Costs, and Sustainability

A key advantage is the reduction of manual process steps. The system performs dilutions only when they are actually required, freeing laboratory staff for more analytically demanding tasks. Sample throughput increases while processing time per sample decreases — both of which are of practical significance given rising demands on laboratory turnaround times and result availability.

In addition, consumption of laboratory consumables such as pipette tips, gloves, and sample vials is reduced. This has a positive effect on costs and supports more resource-efficient laboratory processes.

Measurement Range and Matrix Diversity as Analytical Challenges

Elemental analysis today covers a broad range of requirements. On one side is residue analysis, where elements in the trace range must be precisely evaluated against limit values. On the other side are content determinations with high elemental concentrations that must be reliably quantified. This breadth requires a dilution system that can flexibly adapt to different measurement ranges — from very low to high dilution factors.

Added to this is the increasing diversity of matrices. Alongside plant-based and organic samples, samples with high salt loads or complex constituents are becoming more common. Special cases such as bromide analyses — where the analyte is extracted rather than digested — additionally require an adapted dilution strategy that differs considerably from classical digestion solutions.

These requirements make it clear that an adaptable dilution system is not an optional addition, but a methodological prerequisite for reliable results across a broad sample spectrum.

Conclusion

The automated dilution system enables more efficient and reproducible sample processing — for both residue analyses in the trace range and content determinations at high concentrations. The flexible adaptation to different dilution factors and matrices makes it possible to methodologically underpin a broad analytical spectrum. Relieving the laboratory team of manual routine tasks creates capacity for expert assessment while simultaneously contributing to more resource-efficient processes.