Robert (Rob) Thomas is the principal of Scientific Solutions, a consulting company that serves the training, application, marketing and writing needs of the trace ele¬ment user community. He has worked in the field of atomic and mass spectroscopy for more than 45 years, including 24 years for a manufacturer of atomic spectroscopic instrumentation. He has served on the American Chemical Society (ACS) Committee on Analytical Reagents (CAR) for the past 20 years as leader of the plasma spectrochemistry, heavy metals task force, where he has worked very closely with the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) to align ACS heavy metal testing procedures with pharmaceutical guidelines. Rob has written almost 100 technical publications, including a 15-part tutorial series on ICP-MS. He is also the editor and frequent contributor of the Atomic Perspectives column in Spectroscopy magazine. In addition, Rob has authored three textbooks on ICP-MS and in 2018 completed his fourth publication, entitled Measuring Elemental Impurities in Pharmaceuticals: A Practical Guide. He has spent the past two years researching and writing this new book, Measuring Heavy Metal Contaminants in Cannabis and Hemp. Rob has an advanced degree in analytical chemistry from the University of Wales, UK, and is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC) and a Chartered Chemist (CChem).

This dedicated reference book will cover everything that the global cannabis testing communities need to know about heavy metals and other elemental impurities and will help inexperienced users in the testing labs.to get a better understanding of the plasma-based analytical techniques that are being recommended to carry out the measurements.

1. The Importance of Testing Cannabis: An Overview of the Analytical Techniques Use. 2. The Importance of Measuring Heavy Metals in Cannabis and Hemp. 3. What the Cannabis Industry Can Learn from Pharmaceutical Regulations. 4. An Overview of ICP Mass Spectrometry. 5. Principles of Ion Formation. 6. ICP-MS Sample Introduction. 7. Plasma Source. 8. Interface Region. 9. Ion Focusing System. 10. Mass Analyzers: Quadrupole Technology. 11. Mass Analyzers: Double-Focusing Magnetic Sector Technology. 12. Mass Analyzers: Time-Of-Flight Technology. 13. Mass Analyzers: Collision/Reaction Cell and Interface Technology. 14. Ion Detectors. 15. Peak Measurement Protocol. 16. Methods of Quantitation. 17. Review of ICP-MS Interferences. 18. Routine Maintenance. 19. Sampling and Sample Preparation Techniques. 20. Performance and Productivity Enhancement Tools. 21. Coupling ICP-MS with Chromatographic Separation Techniques for Speciation Studies. 22. A Practical Guide to Reducing Errors and Contamination Using Plasma Spectrochemistry. 23. the Importance of Laboratory Quality Assurance. 24. Measurement of Elemental Constituents of Cannabis Vaping Liquids and Aerosols by ICP-MS. 25. Fundamental Principles, Method Development Optimization and Operational Requirements of ICP-Optical Emission. 26. Atomic Absorption and Atomic Fluorescence. 27. Other Traditional and Emerging Atomic Spectroscopy Techniques. 28. What Atomic Spectroscopic Technique Is Right for Your Lab? 29. Do You Know What It Costs to Run Your AS System? 30. How to Select an ICP Mass Spectrometer: Some Important Analytical Considerations. 31. Glossary of Terms Used in Atomic Spectroscopy. 32. Useful Contact Information.