The Benefits of ICP-MS for the Determination of Toxic and Nutritional Elements in the Cannabis Family of Flowering Plants.

This study focuses on an inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) sample preparation procedure and analytical methodology optimized for both toxic and nutritional elements in dried hops, a surrogate for the cannabis family of flowering plants. It shows that the wide dynamic range of the technique allows it to be used for the simultaneous determination of parts-per-billion levels of heavy metals including Pb, As, Cd, and Hg, together with high parts-per-million levels of nutritional elements, such as P, Ca, K, and Mg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]