Microwave digestion methods for the determination of trace elements in brain and liver samples by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Two microwave digestion systems (open-focused and closed-pressurized) were tested for the mineralization of human brain and bovine liver (NIST SRM 1577a) as dissolution steps prior to the determination of 16 trace elements (Bi, Cd, Co, Cs, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Mo, Pb, Rb, Sb, Sn, Sr, Tl, and Zn) by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Digestion parameters (mass of sample, digestion mixture, and power/time steps) were optimized using temperature and pressure sensors. Digestions with the open-focused microwave system require larger volumes of conc. HNO₃ and 30% H₂O₂ than digestions with the closed-pressurized system. Both systems produce correct results for the bovine liver samples. The concentrations obtained for the digests of the open-focused system tend to be less precise than the concentrations from the closed-pressurized digests. Because the open-focused digests must be diluted to 50 mL to bring the acid concentration to 0.7–2.0 mol/L required by the ICP-MS (closed-pressurized digests need to be diluted to only 20 mL), the detection limits for the system with the open-focused digestion are higher than for the system with the closed-pressurized digestor. The open-focused digestor cannot handle more than 150 mg brain tissue, whereas the closed-pressurized system can mineralize 470 mg. The latter method gave better results with brain tissue than the open-focused system. The preparation of brain tissue as reference material for the determination of trace elements in brain samples is described.     

Microwave digestion of "residual fuel oil" (NIST SRM 1634b) for the determination of trace elements by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry

A microwave procedure for the digestion of the NIST 1634b reference material "residual fuel oil" in closed pressurized vessels was developed in an attempt to facilitate routine analysis and obtain reproducible conditions or comparable results. The influence of sample size, reagent composition and volume, microwave power, and duration of heating on the digestion procedure was studied. Pressure and temperature inside the reaction vessels were monitored to determine the progression of the reaction and to develop optimal conditions. A nine-step heating program requiring 36.5 min with microwave power not exceeding 450 W in the pulsed mode was found suitable for the digestion of approximately 250 mg fuel oil with a mixture of nitric acid (5.0 mL) and hydrogen peroxide (2.0 mL). The reproducibility of microwave power was determined in terms of the relative standard deviations (n = 3) for temperature (2.7%) and pressure (4.9%) data. The vapor pressures obtained with 5.0 mL Milli-Q water (heated) in an 80-mL digestion vessel showed good agreement with literature data. The excess acid in the resulting digests was removed by evaporation and the concentrations of 24 elements (Ag, Al, As, Ba, Bi, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mg, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, Sn, Sr, Ti, Tl, V, U, and Zn) were determined in the diluted digests by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The experimental results were in good agreement with the certified and recommended concentrations for eight elements (Al, As, Co, Cr, Ni, Pb, V, Zn) in solutions obtained after one digestion step. An additional digestion step, consisting of intermediate cooling and venting stages, was required for the accurate determination of Fe. No agreement was reached for Ca and Ba even after two-step digestion. The proposed method of digestion provided precise results with relative standard deviations generally less than 5% for most of the elements determined.     

Microwave digestion of “residual fuel oil” (NIST SRM 1634b) for the determination of trace elements by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry

A microwave procedure for the digestion of the NIST 1634b reference material “residual fuel oil” in closed pressurized vessels was developed in an attempt to facilitate routine analysis and obtain reproducible conditions or comparable results. The influence of sample size, reagent composition and volume, microwave power, and duration of heating on the digestion procedure was studied. Pressure and temperature inside the reaction vessels were monitored to determine the progression of the reaction and to develop optimal conditions. A nine-step heating program requiring 36.5 min with microwave power not exceeding 450 W in the pulsed mode was found suitable for the digestion of ～ 250 mg fuel oil with a mixture of nitric acid (5.0 mL) and hydrogen peroxide (2.0 mL). The reproducibility of microwave power was determined in terms of the relative standard deviations (n = 3) for temperature (2.7%) and pressure (4.9%) data. The vapor pressures obtained with 5.0 mL Milli-Q water (heated) in an 80-mL digestion vessel showed good agreement with literature data. The excess acid in the resulting digests was removed by evaporation and the concentrations of 24 elements (Ag, Al, As, Ba, Bi, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mg, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, Sn, Sr, Ti, Tl, V, U, and Zn) were determined in the diluted digests by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The experimental results were in good agreement with the certified and recommended concentrations for eight elements (Al, As, Co, Cr, Ni, Pb, V, Zn) in solutions obtained after one digestion step. An additional digestion step, consisting of intermediate cooling and venting stages, was required for the accurate determination of Fe. No agreement was reached for Ca and Ba even after two-step digestion. The proposed method of digestion provided precise results with relative standard deviations generally less than 5% for most of the elements determined.     

微波消解-ICP/MS测定烤烟中微量元素含量

以3 mL HNO3和2 mL H2O2的混合消解液对烟草样品进行微波消解,采用电感耦合等离子体质谱测定了烤烟中的Mn、Zn、Cu、Se、N i、Co、Cr、As、Cd、Pb 10种微量元素的含量.结果表明：方法的检出限均低于0.02μg/g,各元素测定的RSD（n=5）均小于3%,样品加标回收率为97.35%-101.30%.方法消耗试剂少,快速准确,适合烟草中多种微量元素的同时测定.     

Partial microwave-assisted wet digestion of animal tissue using a baby-bottle sterilizer for analyte determination by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry

A procedure for partial digestion of bovine tissue is proposed using polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) micro-vessels inside a baby-bottle sterilizer under microwave radiation for multi-element determination by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES). Samples were directly weighed in laboratory-made polytetrafluoroethylene vessels. Nitric acid and hydrogen peroxide were added to the uncovered vessels, which were positioned inside the baby-bottle sterilizer, containing 500 mL of water. The hydrogen peroxide volume was fixed at 100 µL. The system was placed in a domestic microwave oven and partial digestion was carried out for the determination of Ca, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn and Zn by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. The single-vessel approach was used in the entire procedure, to minimize contamination in trace analysis. Better recoveries and lower residual carbon content (RCC) levels were obtained under the conditions established through a 2^4-1 fractional factorial design: 650 W microwave power, 7 min digestion time, 50 µL nitric acid and 50 mg sample mass. The digestion efficiency was ascertained according to the residual carbon content determined by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. The accuracy of the proposed procedure was checked against two certified reference materials.     

微波消解样品-电感耦合等离子体原子发射光谱法测定锰矿中铝、镁、磷

锰矿样品在密闭的消解罐中用盐酸、硝酸、过氧化氢及氢氟酸在微波消解仪中进行消解,所得溶液移入聚四氟乙烯容量瓶中,加水定容至100mL供电感耦合等离子体原子发射光谱法分析用。此方法中不采用加入硼酸络合过剩的氢氟酸,以避免因加入硼酸而引起的干扰。为抵消基体干扰,在制备标准曲线时于各试液中加入一定量的锰(Ⅱ)溶液。选择测定铝、镁及磷的分析谱线依次为396.152,280.270,185.942nm。应用此方法分析了2件锰矿标准物质,测得上述3种元素的测定结果与认定值相符,测定值的相对标准偏差(n=11)在0.63%～1.18%之间。     

土壤中铅的分析方法比对

对不同的样品消解方法及电感耦合等离子体质谱、电感耦合等离子体原子发射光谱、石墨炉原子吸收光谱法测定土壤中铅的测定结果进行比对。采用电热板、微波及水浴3种加热方式,选择硝酸、氢氟酸、双氧水、王水、高氯酸、盐酸的不同组合进行土壤样品消解,通过分析测定值的精密度和准确度,考察消解体系对电感耦合等离子体质谱、电感耦合等离子体发射光谱、石墨炉原子吸收光谱法测定结果的影响。结果表明采用电感耦合等离子体质谱法测定土壤中的铅,最适宜的消解体系是硝酸-氢氟酸-高氯酸(微波加热),采用电感耦合等离子体原子发射光谱法测定最适宜的消解体系是硝酸(电热板加热),采用石墨炉原子吸收光谱法测定最适宜的消解体系是硝酸-盐酸-高氯酸(微波加热)。电感耦合等离子体质谱法的精密度和准确度优于另外两种方法。     

Determination of phosphorus in small amounts of protein samples by ICP–MS

Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is used for phosphorus determination in protein samples. A small amount of solid protein sample (down to 1 micro g) or digest (1-10 micro L) protein solution was denatured in nitric acid and hydrogen peroxide by closed-microvessel microwave digestion. Phosphorus determination was performed with an optimized analytical method using a double-focusing sector field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-SFMS) and quadrupole-based ICP-MS (ICP-QMS). For quality control of phosphorus determination a certified reference material (CRM), single cell proteins (BCR 273) with a high phosphorus content of 26.8+/-0.4 mg g(-1), was analyzed. For studies on phosphorus determination in proteins while reducing the sample amount as low as possible the homogeneity of CRM BCR 273 was investigated. Relative standard deviation and measurement accuracy in ICP-QMS was within 2%, 3.5%, 11% and 12% when using CRM BCR 273 sample weights of 40 mg, 5 mg, 1 mg and 0.3 mg, respectively. The lowest possible sample weight for an accurate phosphorus analysis in protein samples by ICP-MS is discussed. The analytical method developed was applied for the analysis of homogeneous protein samples in very low amounts [1-100 micro g of solid protein sample, e.g. beta-casein or down to 1 micro L of protein or digest in solution (e.g., tau protein)]. A further reduction of the diluted protein solution volume was achieved by the application of flow injection in ICP-SFMS, which is discussed with reference to real protein digests after protein separation using 2D gel electrophoresis.The detection limits for phosphorus in biological samples were determined by ICP-SFMS down to the ng g(-1) level. The present work discusses the figure of merit for the determination of phosphorus in a small amount of protein sample with ICP-SFMS in comparison to ICP-QMS.     

Improved methodology for the microwave digestion of carbonate-rich environmental samples

Microwave-assisted digestion permits a rapid and total dissolution of sediments and various other sample types, allowing easier and more accurate multi-element determinations. In this study, we present an optimised microwave digestion method for the complete digestion of 200 mg of carbonate-rich sediments. The optimised method prevents the formation of precipitates and assures a complete dissolution of the material. The optimised method involves treatment with concentrated hydrochloric acid (HCl) prior to microwave digestion, which prevents the formation of an insoluble calcium fluoride precipitate associated with the use of hydrofluoric acid (HF). Three different certified reference samples along with a pure calcium carbonate standard and a carbonate-rich in-house marine sediment sample were considered. Sediments were found to only be partially digested if insufficient HF was present, while a noticeable fluoride-based precipitate was found if excess HF was present. Twenty elements were analysed using sector field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) (Al, Ag, Ba, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Ni, Sr, Th, Ti, U, V and Zn). A total sample digestion with average elemental recoveries above 90% was obtained by reacting carbonate-rich samples with HCl on a hotplate at 150°C for 2 h (time for the total release of generated CO₂), prior to any microwave digestion step. This extra step prevented the accumulation of gas in the sealed vessels during digestion, which would otherwise influence the carbonate chemical equilibria and make insoluble calcium available for precipitation. After this initial treatment, the improved digestion method consisted of microwave attack employing a mix of concentrated HCl, nitric acid (HNO₃) and HF (4 mL/10 mL/2 mL), followed by evaporation on a hotplate. The limits of detection (LOD) obtained using the optimised microwave protocol and ICP-MS measurements were below 0.1 µg/kg for the trace elements and below 0.2 mg/kg for major elements.     

微波消解-火焰原子吸收光谱法测定硅石中微量铁锰钙镁

本文提出硅石消解新技术--微波消解法.于聚氯乙烯消解罐中加硝酸、氢氟酸、高氯酸,程序加压升温分解硅石.微波消解法与冰浴法、加热消解法相比,可避免待测元素在分解过程带来的损失,且分解完全,酸用量少,操作简单、可靠.硅石经微波消解后采用火焰原子吸收光谱法检测铁、锰、镁、钙,铁、锰、镁、钙的回收率分别为97.3%～99.0%、104.4%～106.5%、95.7%～98.0%、103.1%～106.6%,与国家标准方法分析结果比较,相对误差均小于5%.     

Simultaneous determination of Cd, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn in nail samples by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after tetramethylammonium hydroxide solubilization at room temperature: comparison with ETAAS

A simple method is described for the determination of Cd, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn in nails by using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) or electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS). Prior to analysis, 10-20 mg of nail samples were accurately weighed into (15 mL) conical tubes. Then, 1 mL of 25% (w/v) tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) solution was added to the samples, incubated at room temperature overnight and then further diluted to 10 mL with 1% (v/v) HNO(3). After that, samples were directly analyzed. Rhodium was used as internal standard for ICP-MS analysis. Method detection limits (3 s, n=20) were 0.1, 3.0, 1.0, 4.5, 1.5, 5.0 ng g(-1) for Cd, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn, respectively for ICP-MS, and 24, 26, 30, 143, 130 and 1000 ng g(-1), respectively for ETAAS. The key issue addressed here is the elimination of the acid digestion prior to analysis. Moreover, with the use of the proposed method there is a considerable improvement in the sample throughput comparing to the traditional methods using microwave-assisted acid sample digestion prior to analysis. For validation purposes, six ordinary nail samples were solubilized and then directly analyzed by ICP-MS and ETAAS, with no statistical difference between the two techniques at 95% level on applying the t-test.     

乳化辅助微波消解-ICP-ORS-MS快速测定霜膏类化妆品中17种微量元素

采用乳化剂和硝酸体系微波消解样品,带八极杆碰撞/反应池(ORS)的电感耦合等离子体质谱(ICP-MS)法同时测定了霜膏类化妆品中铍、硼、铝、钛、铬、锌、砷、硒、银、镉、锡、锑、碘、钕、汞、铊和铅等17种微量元素.通过优化样品前处理和ICP-MS操作条件,降低了质谱干扰,各元素的检出限(3σ)在0.003 ～0.058 ...     

Determination of total cationic and total anionic arsenic species in oyster tissue using microwave-assisted extraction followed by HPLC-ICP-MS

A microwave-assisted digestion procedure was developed in presence of concentrated nitric acid (2.0 ml) and 30% hydrogen peroxide (0.20 ml) using a closed pressurized microwave digestion system for the determination of total anionic and total cationic arsenic compounds reside in oyster tissue. At 450 W for 15 min digestion, 74% of anionic arsenic, and 31% of cationic arsenic (105% total arsenic) were retrieved. At 300 W microwave power, 68% of anionic and 30.5% of cationic arsenic (98.5% total arsenic), and 100 W, 63% of anionic and 31% of cationic arsenic (94% total arsenic) were extracted out. The methanol water mixture (9:1) was cull out, exclusively 31.6% of anionic and 29% of cationic arsenic compounds (60.6% total). The dimethylarsinoylriboside (phosphate-arsenosugar) was the predominant arsenic species, along with arsenobetaine (AB), dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), inorganic arsenic, methylarsonic acid (MA), arsenocholine (AC), trimethylarsineoxide (TMAO) and tetramethylarsonium ion (TMI). Some other arsenic compounds, those were not matched with the retention time of the available standards, were also detected. Arsenosugar was fragile and adequately transmuted to DMA (100%), AB and AC to TMAO (100%) when 450 W microwave power was applied for 15 min. The separation and quantification of arsenic compounds in the microwave digests and extracts, were carried out in anion (PRP-X100) and cation (LC-SCX) exchange columns using ICP-MS as arsenic specific detector. The procedure was also validated by determining the total cationic and total anionic arsenic compounds present in DORM 1.     

Evaluation of closed-vessel microwave digestion method for the determination of trace impurities in polymer-based photoresist by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

A closed microwave digestion method followed by inductively coupled plasma spectrometric (ICP-MS) analysis was evaluated for the determination of trace impurities in photoresist. To optimize the digestion procedure, several digestion parameters such as acid, heating temperature and heating time were evaluated. Besides, the digestion efficiency of used photoresist material and the recovery of analyte elements obtained by the use of gravimetric method and ICP-MS measurement, individually, were also compared to clarify the completeness of digestion. According to our experiments, the gravimetric method was found to be not so relevant to the completeness of digestion, because the remaining sample matrix could cause suppression effect in the subsequent ICP-MS measurement. In view of minimizing blank value and working time, a simple single-step heating program was proposed to mineralize 0.25 ml of photoresist material with 5 ml of nitric acid at 180 °C for 10 min. Based on the comparative study of the analytical results obtained by instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) and proposed method, the reliability of proposed method for the determination of trace metallic impurities in photoresist material has been confirmed.     

Microwave-assisted digestion procedures for biological samples with diluted nitric acid: Identification of reaction products

Microwave-assisted sample preparation using diluted nitric acid solutions is an alternative procedure for digesting organic samples. The efficiency of this procedure depends on the chemical properties of the samples and in this work it was evaluated by the determination of crude protein amount, fat and original carbon. Soybeans grains, bovine blood, bovine muscle and bovine viscera were digested in a cavity-microwave oven using oxidant mixtures in different acid concentrations. The digestion efficiency was evaluated based on the determination of residual carbon content and element recoveries using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES). In order to determine the main residual organic compounds, the digests were characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR). Subsequently, studies concerning separation of nitrobenzoic acid isomers were performed by ion pair reversed phase liquid chromatography using a C18 stationary phase, water:acetonitrile:methanol (75:20:5, v/v/v) + 0.05% (v/v) TFA as mobile phase and ultraviolet detection at 254 nm. Sample preparation based on diluted acids proved to be feasible and a recommendable alternative for organic sample digestion, reducing both the reagent volumes and the variability of the residues as a result of the process of decomposition. It was shown that biological matrices containing amino acids, proteins and lipids in their composition produced nitrobenzoic acid isomers and other organic compounds after cleavage of chemical bonds.     

Multielement characterization of soil samples with ICP-MS for environmental studies

The recovery of trace elements of ecotoxic importance has been studied on certified soil and sediment reference samples after pressurized digestions with HNO₃, HNO₃+HF and HNO₃+HCl+HF mixtures, respectively. The acid digests have been analyzed by ICP-MS. The results indicate that digestion with nitric acid alone is satisfactory for the recovery of As, Cd, Co, Cu and Zn. Cr and Pb showed lower recoveries with HNO₃ alone but addition of HF improved their extraction. With appropriate corrections, ICP-MS can be used for the routine analysis of soils and sediments. These digestion procedures, evaluated based on reference samples, have been used for the trace element characterization of soil samples from the German Environmental Specimen Bank.     

TXRF法测定松花粉中的9种生命元素

建立了微波消解前处理,全反射X射线荧光法(TXRF)同时测定松花粉中K、Ca、Ti、Mn、Fe、Ni、Cu、Zn和Rb9种生命元素含量的分析方法.松花粉原料经过微波消解前处理后,采用全反射X射线荧光光谱净计数、QXAS分析软件解谱和单一内标法进行定量分析.比较了干灰化法、湿消解法和微波消解法3种前处理方法的效果,并确立微波消解法作为样品前处理方法.用微波消解- TXRF法测定了花粉标准物质中的上述9种元素,并计算得到其仪器检出限(LLD)为0.002～0.054 mg/L,方法检出限(LDM)为0.004～0.122 mg/kg.TXRF法测定各元素的相对标准偏差(RSDs)为1.0％～5.5％.该方法操作简单、样品用量少、检出限低,对实际样品松花粉的测定结果与ICP - MS法无显著性差异.     

微波消解-ICP-MS法测定药用明胶空心胶囊中微量重金属元素

采用微波消解技术,建立了一种电感耦合等离子体质谱法测定明胶空心胶囊中Cr,Co,Ni,Cu,Zn,As,Cd,Hg和Pb 9种微量重金属元素的方法。确定了微波消解仪和等离子体质谱仪的最佳操作参数,研究共存离子的干扰和消除方法,选择了各元素的测定同位素,以Ge,Rh和Tl为内标补偿基体效应,建立了样品测定方法。应用拟定的方法测定了不同生产厂家、不同批次的空心胶囊中微量重金属的含量。方法对试样中各元素测定的相对标准偏差为1.5%~14.1%,加标回收率在90.0%~102.0%。结果表明,方法简便、快速、灵敏,满足于空心胶囊中9种重金属元素的测定要求。     

微波消解样品-电感耦合等离子体原子发射光谱法测定铅精矿中铅、砷、镉、汞

采用微波消解样品-电感耦合等离子体原子发射光谱法同时测定铅精矿中主体元素铅及有毒有害元素砷、镉、汞的含量。0.20g试样置于消解罐中,先后加入硝酸9mL、盐酸3mL、氟硼酸2mL及过氧化氢2.5mL,密闭罐盖按设定的微波消解程序进行消解。试验选择铅、砷、镉和汞的分析线分别为220.351,189.042,228.802,184.950nm以消除基体干扰。铅、砷、镉、汞的检出限分别为16.0,2.2,0.4,0.8μg.g-1。方法用于铅精矿标准样品(GBW 07617)和铅精矿实际样品分析,此方法的测定值与认定值及原子吸收光谱法或原子荧光光谱法的测定值相一致。方法的相对标准偏差(n=10)在0.15%～3.9%之间。     

电感耦合等离子体质谱法测定工业纯铁中13种元素

工业纯铁样品用盐酸、硝酸、氢氟酸微波消解,消解液用水定容至100.0mL,采用电感耦合等离子体质谱法测定上述溶液中硼、镁、钙、钛、铬、镍、铜、锆、铌、锡、锑、铅、铋等13种元素的含量。采用内标法定量,13种元素的线性范围均为0.000 10%~0.015 00%,检出限(3s)为0.24~0.66μg·L^-1。用标准加入法做方法的回收试验,测得回收率为84.0%~106%。方法应用于纯铁标准样品(GBW 01401b、GBW 01402g、SRM 2167、YSBC 11247-2007)的分析,测定值与认定值相符,测定值的相对标准偏差(n=6)为0.80%~9.6%。