A Journal of Analytical Chemistry and Chemical Analysis

Yazarlar: ["Hlengiwe Thandekile Mnculwane"]

Konular:-

DOI:10.3390/analytica3010010

Anahtar Kelimeler:Rare earth elements,ICP-MS,Geological,Low LODs,Accuracy,Precision

Özet: : There is an increasing worldwide demand for rare earth elements (REEs) in new technological applications—such as electronics, superconductors, space applications, etc. The determination of low concentration REEs in geological samples is extremely important since they are the source materials for all REE products. In order to improve the accuracy and precision of REE measurements by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS); complete digestion of refractory phases and minerals in the samples, low procedural blanks, separation of interfering matrix, and elimination of interference on the mass of the analytes of interest must be fulfilled. Conventional methods that use a hotplate and a mixture of four acids are effective but can take time to achieve complete dissolution of samples that contain highly refractory phases, which is unacceptable in the mining and metallurgical industry. Such difficult samples necessitate high-temperature alkaline flux fusion as it offers a faster and more efficient alternative to acid digestion. This paper presents an accurate, precise, rapid, and reliable method for rare earth element analysis by ICP-MS with low detection limits, which involves no sample pre-concentration, and is therefore able to deliver data rapidly. The analytical performance of the developed method was tested successfully on various REE rock-type certified reference materials and evaluated statistically. The results obtained were in reasonable agreement with published certificate values.

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