Classification of chemical elements in the reaction cell of an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS) was first reported based on the affinities with multiple elements, i.e. sulfur, oxygen, and fluorine. The data were summarized in the periodic table based on the affinity with each of the three elements mentioned above. An example of the application of the present results was illustrated by analyzing Y and La in the matrix of Sr and Ba, offering apparently improved background equivalent concentration (BEC) and detection limits (DL).