REVIEW: Iodine Determination by Inductively Coupled Plasma Spectrometry

Iodine is a chemical element with critical physiological roles and its determination using instrumental analysis is not trivial. Inductively coupled plasma spectrometry associated with either optical emission (ICP-OES) or mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) may be employed, but each alternative presents limitations considering iodine behavior in argon plasma and the occurrence of interferences. Sample preparation is also a critical issue when using sample introduction by pneumatic nebulization due to memory effects. This critical review discusses the literature dealing with sample preparation followed by ICP-OES or ICP-MS for iodine determination in a plethora of samples. It is shown that the best figures of merit may be reached using sample preparation in alkaline medium followed by ICP-MS measurements.