The determination of 52 elements in marine geological samples by an inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry and an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry with a high-pressure closed digestion method

An improved analytical method to determine the content of 52 major, minor and trace elements in marine geological samples, using a HF-HCl-HNO_3 acid system with a high-pressure closed digestion method(HPCD), is studied by an inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry(ICP-OES) and an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry(ICP-MS). The operating parameters of the instruments are optimized, and the optimal analytical parameters are determined. The influences of optical spectrum and mass spectrum interferences, digestion methods and acid systems on the analytical results are investigated. The optimal spectral lines and isotopes are chosen, and internal standard element of rhodium is selected to compensate for matrix effects and analytical signals drifting. Compared with the methods of an electric heating plate digestion and a microwave digestion, a high-pressure closed digestion method is optimized with less acid, complete digestion,less damage for digestion process. The marine geological samples are dissolved completely by a HF-HCl-HNO_3 system, the relative error(RE) for the analytical results are all less than 6.0%. The method detection limits are 2–40μg/g by the ICP-OES, and 6–80 ng/g by ICP-MS. The methods are used to determine the marine sediment reference materials(GBW07309, GBW07311, GBW07313), rock reference materials(GBW07103, GBW07104,GBW07105), and cobalt-rich crust reference materials(GBW07337, GBW07338, GBW07339), the obtained analytical results are in agreement with the certified values, and both of the relative standard deviation(RSD) and the relative error(RE) are less than 6.0%. The analytical method meets the requirements for determining 52 elements contents of bulk marine geological samples.

Simultaneous determination of some trace metal impurities in high-purity sodium tungstate using coprecipitation and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry

A method based on the combination of coprecipitation with inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spec trometry (ICP-AES) was developed for the determination of impurities in high-purity sodium tungstate. Six elements (Co,Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, and Pb) were coprecipitated by lanthanum hydroxide so as to be concentrated and separated from the tungsten matrix. Effects of some factors on the recoveries of the analytes and on the residual amount of sodium tungstate were investigated, and the optimum conditions for the coprecipitation were proposed. Matrix-matching calibration curve method was used for the analysis. It is shown that the elements mentioned above can be quantitatively recovered. The detection limits for Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, and Pb are 0.07, 0.4, 0.2, 0.1, 0.6, and 1.3 μg.g-1, respectively. The recoveries vary from 92.5% to 108%, and the relative standard deviations (RSDs) are in the range of 3.1%-5.5%.

Determination of micro yttrium in an ytterbium matrix by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry and wavelet transform

In the determination of trace yttrium (Y) in an ytterbium (Yb) matrix by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES), the most prominent line of yttrium, Y 371.030 nm line, suffers from strong interference due to an emission line of ytterbium. In this work, a method based on wavelet transform was proposed for the spectral in-terference correction. Haar wavelet was selected as the mother wavelet. The discrete detail after the third decomposition, D3, was chosen for quantitative analysis based on the consideration of both separation degree and peak height. The linear corre-lation coefficient between the height of the left positive peak in D3 and the concentration of Y was calculated to be 0.9926. Six synthetic samples were analyzed, and the recovery for yttrium varied from 96.3% to 110.0%. The amounts of yttrium in three ytterbium metal samples were determined by the proposed approach with an average relative standard deviation (RSD) of 2.5%, and the detection limit for yttrium was 0.016%. This novel correction technique is fast and convenient, since nei-ther complicated model assumption nor time-consuming iteration is required. Furthermore, it is not affected by the wave-length drift inherent in monochromators that will severely reduce the accuracy of results obtained by some chemometric methods.

Atomic Emission Spectrometry of Inductively Coupled Plasma with Sample Introduction by Electrothermal Vaporization

A system is described in which a graphite furnace electrothermal vaporization device is employed for the introduction of microlitre liquid sample into an inductively coupled argon plasma. The technique provides a picogram detection limit and an adequate precision with a relative standard deviation of 4%. Mechanism of analyte condensation in transport process is explored. As an application, the technique combined with DDTC/CCl4 extraction is used to enrich and determine non- rare earth impurities in highly pure La2O3.

Diagnostics of Argon Inductively Coupled Plasma and Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma by Optical Emission Spectroscopy

An experimental setup was built up to carry out radio frequency (RF) inductively coupled plasma (ICP) and dielectric barrier discharge (DBD), and to depict the optical emission spectra (OES) of the discharges. OES from argon ICP and DBD plasmas in visible and near ultraviolet region were measured. For argon ICP, the higher RF power input (higher than 500 W for our machine), the higher degree of argon plasma ionization. But that doesn’t mean a higher mean electron energy. With the increase in the power input, the mean electron energy increases slightly, whereas the density of electron increases apparently On the contrary, argon DBD discharge behaves in the manner of a pulsed DC discharge on optical emission spectroscopy and V-I characteristics. DBD current is composed of a series of pulses equally spaced in temporal domain. The Kinetics of DBD emission strength is mainly governed by the frequency of the current pulse.

Determination of trace elements in high purity nickel by high resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

The contents of Mg,Al,Si,Ti,Cr,Mn,Fe,Co,Cu,Ga,As,Se,Cd,Sb,Pb and Bi in high purity nickel were determined by high resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry(HR-ICP-MS).The sample was dissolved in HNO3 and HCl by microwave digestion.Most of the spectral interferences could be avoided by measuring in the high resolution mode.The matrix effects because of the presence of excess HCl and nickel were evaluated.Correction for matrix effects was made using Sc,Rh and Tl as internal standards.The optimum conditions for the determination were tested and discussed.The detection limits range from 0.012 to 1.76 μg/g depending on the type of elements.The applicability of the proposed method is also validated by the analysis of high purity nickel reference material(NIST SRM 671).The relative standard deviation(RSD) is less than 3.3%.Results for determination of trace elements in high purity nickel were presented.

Quantification of trace amounts of impurities in high purity cobalt by high resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

An analytical method using high resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HR-ICP-MS) for rapid simultaneous determination of 24 elements (Be, Mg, Al, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Ge, As, Se, Mo, Ag, Cd, Sn, Sb, Ba, Pt, Au, and Pb) in high purity cobalt was described. Sample digestions were performed in closed microwave vessels using HNO3 and HCl. The matrix effects because of the presence of excess HCl and Co were evaluated. The usefulness of high mass resolution for overcoming some spectral interference was demonstrated. The optimum conditions for the deter- mination were tested and discussed. The standard addition method was employed for quantitative analysis. The detection limits were 0.016-1.50 μg?g?1, the recovery ratios were 92.2%-111.2%, and the RSD was less than 3.6%. The method was accurate, quick, and convenient. It was applied to the determination of trace impurities in high purity cobalt with satisfactory results.

Diagnostic of capacitively coupled radio frequency plasma from electrical discharge characteristics：comparison with optical emission spectroscopy and fluid model simulation

The capacitively coupled radio frequency(CCRF)plasma has been widely used in various fields.In some cases,it requires us to estimate the range of key plasma parameters simpler and quicker in order to understand the behavior in plasma.In this paper,a glass vacuum chamber and a pair of plate electrodes were designed and fabricated,using 13.56 MHz radio frequency(RF)discharge technology to ionize the working gas of Ar.This discharge was mathematically described with equivalent circuit model.The discharge voltage and current of the plasma were measured atdifferent pressures and different powers.Based on the capacitively coupled homogeneous discharge model,the equivalent circuit and the analytical formula were established.The plasma density and temperature were calculated by using the equivalent impedance principle and energy balance equation.The experimental results show that when RF discharge power is 50–300 W and pressure is 25–250 Pa,the average electron temperature is about 1.7–2.1 e V and the average electron density is about 0.5?×?10^(17)–3.6?×?10^(17)m^(-3).Agreement was found when the results were compared to those given by optical emission spectroscopy and COMSOL simulation.

Analysis of Cu,Co,V and Zn in Coastal Waters of the East China Sea by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry(ICP-MS)

In this study, a simple method for the simultaneous determination of trace metals(Cu, V, Co, Zn) in coastal seawater using the Mg(OH)2 coprecipitation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry(ICP-MS) was developed. This multi-element method enables the simultaneous extraction of four metals, particularly Co and V. The recoveries of Cu, Co, V and Zn after Mg(OH)2 coprecipitation were 73%, 96%, 94% and 92%, which means that our procedure was well-suited to the determination of these four trace metals. The detection limits were 3.81, 0.18, 6.09 and 1.91 nmol L-1, respectively. Then, applying this method to the simultaneous determination of these four metals in coastal water samples from the East China Sea revealed that the concentrations of Cu, Zn, Co and V were higher in bottom waters compared to water at other depths, and higher concentrations were generally observed at the Yangtze River estuary. Additionally, example vertical profiles of dissolved trace metal concentrations for the East China Sea in spring and autumn are compared. These findings indicate that Zn had the greatest seasonal variation followed by Cu, V and Co. For Zn and Co, the concentrations were higher during spring than during autumn. For Cu and V, the seasonal variation in the concentrations was opposite.

Determination of trace multi-elements in coal fly ash by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

The contents of Cr, Cu, Ni, As, Cd and Pb in coal fly ash were determined by a high resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry method. The sample digestions were performed in closed microwave vessels with HNO3, HClO4 and HF. The optimum conditions for the determination were obtained. The applicability of the proposed method was validated by the analysis of coal fly ash reference material (NIST SRM 1633a). The results show that most of the spectral interferences can be avoided by measuring in the high resolution mode (maximum mass resolution R=9 000). The detection limit is from 0.05 to 0.21 μg/g, and the precision is fine with relative standard deviation less than 4.3%.

Determination of impurity elements in MnZn ferrites by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

An inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry(ICP-MS) method was developed for the determination of Na, Mg, Al,K, Ca, Ti, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Ga, As, Mo, Ag, Cd and Pb in MnZn ferrites. The sample was digested by HNO3+HCl with microwave digestion followed by dilution with ultrapure water, then the above 16 impurity elements in the solution were analyzed directly by ICP-MS. The impurity elements were introduced by the helium gas or hydrogen gas into the octopole reaction system(ORS) to eliminate the polyatomic interferences caused by the high salty matrixes. The matrix effect was minimized through matrix matching,and Be, Y and Rh were used as internal standard elements. The working parameters of the instrument were optimized. The results show that the method has good precision and high accuracy. The detection limits for the investigated elements are in the range of0.9-37.5 ng/L, the relative standard deviation of each element is within 1.1%-4.8%, and the recovery of each element is 90%-108%.

Trace amounts of impurities in electrolytic manganese metal by sector field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

An analytical method, using sector field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry(SF-ICP-MS) for rapid simultaneous determination of Be, Na, Mg, Si, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Sn, Sb, Pb and Bi in electrolytic manganese metal, was described. At the beginning, the samples were decomposed by HNO3 and H2 SO4, and then analyzed by SF-ICP-MS. Most of the spectral interferences could be avoided by measuring in different mass resolution modes. The matrix effects due to the excess of sulfuric acid and Mn were evaluated. Correction of matrix effects was conducted by using the internal standard elements. The optimum condition for the determination was investigated and discussed. The detection limit is in the range of 0.001 0.169 μg/L. The current method is applied to the determination of trace impurities in electrolytic manganese metal. And experiments show that good results can be obtained much faster, more accurately and conveniently by current method.

Quantification of Trace Amounts of Impurities in High Purity Cobalt by High Resolution Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry

An analytical method using high resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HR-ICP-MS) for rapid simultaneous determination of Be, Mg, Al, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Ge, As, Se, Mo, Ag, Cd, Sn, Sb, Ba, Pt, Au and Pb in high purity cobalt was described. Sample digestions were performed in closed microwave vessels using HNO3 and HCl. The matrix effects due to the presence of excess HCl and Co were evaluated. The usefulness of high mass resolution for overcoming some spectral interference was demonstrated. The optimum conditions for the determination was tested and discussed. Correction for matrix effects, Sc, Rh and Bi were used as internal standards. The detection limits is 0.003-0.57 μg/g, the recovery ratio is 92.2%-111.2%, and the RSD is less than 3.6%. The method is accurate, quick and convenient. It has been applied to the determination of trace impurities in high purity cobalt with satisfactory results.

Direct Determination of Trace Impurities in High Purity Zinc Oxide by High Resolution Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry

The determination of trace impurities in high purity zinc oxide by high resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HR-ICP-MS) was investigated. To overcome some potentially problematic spectral interference, measurements were acquired in both middle and high resolution modes. The matrix effects due to the presence of excess HCl and zinc were evaluated. The optimum conditions for the determination were tested and discussed. The standard addition method was employed for quantitative analysis. The detection limits ranged from 0.02 μg/g to 6 μg/g depending on the elements.The experimental results for the determination of Na, Mg, Ca, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Mo, Cd, Sb and Pb in several high purity zinc oxide powders were presented.

Determination of Trace Elements in High Purity Gold by High Resolution Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry

Trace elements were determined in high purity gold by high resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HR-ICP-MS). Sample were decomposed by aqua regia. To overcome some potentially problematic spectral interference, measurements were acquired in both medium and high resolution modes. The matrix effects due to the presence of excessive HCl and Au were evaluated. The optimum conditions for the determination was tested and discussed. The standard addition method was employed for quantitative analysis. The detection limits range from 0.01μg/g to 0.28μg/g depending on the elements. The method is accurate, quick and convenient. It has been applied to the determination of trace elements in high purity gold with satisfactory results.

Study of Non-Thermal DC Arc Plasma of CH_4/Ar at Atmospheric Pressure Using Optical Emission Spectroscopy and Mass Spectrometry

Non-thermal C/H/Ar plasmas are widely applied to carbonaceous material production and processing.In this work,plasma parameters and gaseous species of the atmospheric non-thermal C/H/Ar plasmas produced by an atmospheric-pressure DC arc discharge generator in CH_4/Ar were investigated.The voltage-current characteristics were measured for different CH_4/Ar ratios.Optical emission spectroscopy was employed to analyze the electron excitation temperature,gas temperature and electron density under various discharge conditions.The hydrocarbon molecules produced in the CH_4/Ar plasmas were detected with photoionization mass spectrometry.The optical spectral results demonstrated that the electron excitation temperature was 0.4-1 eV,the gas temperature was 2800-4200 K and the electron density was in the range of(5-20)×10^(15) cm^(-3).The mass spectrum indicated that a variety of unsaturated hydrocarbons(C_2H_4,C_3H_6,C_6H_6,etc.) and several highly unsaturated hydrocarbons(C_4H_2,C_5H_6,etc.) were produced in the non-thermal arc plasmas.

Speciation of Volatile Selenium Species in Plants Using Gas Chromatography/Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry

Gas chromatography/inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (GC/ICP-MS) coupled with solid phase micro-extraction can provide a simple, extremely selective and sensitive technique for the analysis of volatile sulfur and selenium compounds in the headspace of growing plants. In this work, the technique was used to evaluate the volatilization of selenium in wild-type and genetically-modified Brassica juncea seedlings. By converting toxic inorganic selenium in the soil to less toxic, volatile organic selenium, B. juncea might be useful in bioremediation of selenium contaminated soil.

A Perspective of Laser Sampling for Inductively Coupled Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectro metry for Rock and Mineral Analysis

The development of laser sampling for optical emission spectrometry is reviewed.Advantages and limitations of pulsed laser sampling are compared with those of continuouslaser sampling.A novel method of laser sampling of liquid samples for inductively coup-led plasma—atomic emission spectrometry has been proposed,and its analytical perform-ance investigated.Experimental results showed that,as a method of sample introduction,laser vaporization of liquid samples enjoyed certain advantages,e.g.,much higher sensitivi-ty,much lower detection limit and reduced sample volume,over solution nebulization.Aperspective of the application of laser sampling—inductively coupled plasma——actomic emis-sion spectrometry for rock and mineral analysis is estimated as well.