Direct determination of platinum group elements and their distributions in geological and environmental samples at the ng g<Superscript>−1</Superscript> level using LA–ICP–IDMS

Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma isotope dilution mass spectrometry (LA–ICP–IDMS) was applied to the direct and simultaneous determination of the platinum group elements (PGEs) Pt, Pd, Ru, and Ir in geological and environmental samples. A special laser ablation system with high ablation rates was used, along with sector field ICP–MS. Special attention was paid to deriving the distributions of PGEs in the pulverized samples. IDMS could not be applied to the (mono-isotopic) Rh, but the similar ablation behavior of Ru and Rh allowed Rh to be simultaneously determined via relative sensitivity coefficients. The laser ablation process produces hardly any oxide ions (which usually cause interference in PGE analysis with liquid sample injection), so the ICP–MS can be run in its low mass resolution but high-sensitivity mode. The detection limits obtained for the geological samples were 0.16 ng g⁻¹, 0.14 ng g⁻¹, 0.08 ng g⁻¹, 0.01 ng g⁻¹ and 0.06 ng g⁻¹ for Ru, Rh, Pd, Ir and Pt, respectively. LA–ICP–IDMS was applied to different geological reference materials (TDB-1, WGB-1, UMT-1, WMG-1, SARM-7) and the road dust reference material BCR-723, which are only certified for some of the PGEs. Comparisons with certified values as well as with indicative values from the literature demonstrated the validity of the LA–ICP–IDMS method. The PGE concentrations in subsamples of the road dust reference material correspond to a normal distribution, whereas the distributions in the geological reference materials TDB-1, WGB-1, UMT-1, WMG-1, and SARM-7 are more complex. For example, in the case of Ru, a logarithmic normal distribution best fits the analyzed concentrations in TDB-1 subsamples, whereas a pronounced nugget effect was found for Pt in most geological samples.     

A comparison of the capacity of FA-ICP-MS and FA-INAA

The platinum-group elements (PGEs) are commonly determined by INAA and ICP-MS after a NiS fire assay preconcentration. The results of the initial round robin for the PGEs and gold were examined for geological Canadian reference materials (WGB-1, TDB-1, UMT-1, WPR-1, WMG-1, and WMS-1). The Au accuracy is generally within 15% for both methods. For Ir, Os, Pd, Pt and Rh the accuracy for most samples is better than 10% for FA-ICP-MS and FA-INAA (true only for sulfide-bearing samples in the case of FA-INAA). Ru is not very accurate by either methods. Ru and Au have problems with precision which is interpreted to be related to the loss of gold in the dissolution step and for Ru, the source of the problem is not yet understood. Kurtosis show that FA-INAA has higher clustering than FA-ICP-MS for most analytes. It suggests a slightly better precision for FA-INAA. This is explained by the robustness of INAA after the NiS preconcentration despite its lower instrumental precision versus the complex dissolution steps involved in ICP-MS. For samples richer in PGEs (sulfide- and/or oxide-bearing rocks) both methods perform adequately but for low PGEs concentration samples (crustal rocks) ICP-MS shows an advantage.     

Nickel sulfide fire assay improved for pre-concentration of platinum group elements in geological samples: a practical means of ultra-trace analysis combined with inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry

A method was developed for ultra-trace determination of all six platinum group elements (PGE) by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). With involvement of Fe to the fusion charge compositions of the conventional NiS fire assay, a whole assay button in water may disintegrate into powder and then be dissolved with HCl. The insoluble residue was collected, and dissolved with HCl + H(2)O(2) in a sealed Teflon beaker. After the HCl + H(2)O(2) treatment the Os signal response is at least 10 times as high as that in HCl medium. With isotopic dilution method for determination of Os, all six PGE were analyzed in one sample preparation. This method was applied to a series of Chinese PGE certified reference materials, GBW 07288 to GBW 07294, and the results were found to be in reasonable agreement with the certified values. Limits of detection were assessed from the whole chemical procedure and they are 0.17 ng g(-1) for Ru, 0.01 ng g(-1) for Rh, 0.16 ng g(-1) for Pd, 0.03 ng g(-1) for Os, 0.07 ng g(-1) for Ir and 0.11 ng g(-1) for Pt. This method of precision (RSD%) was evaluated using two reference materials of GBW 07291 and GBW 07294, and it is within the range from 4.2% to 10.3%.     

火试金预浓集结合中子活化和电感耦合等离子体质谱法测定铂族元素

建立了两种以火试金预浓集为基础的、可用于准确测定铂族元素的方法;中子活化法和电感耦合等离子体质谱法。讨论了它们的分析检出限、准确度及其适应性。并用这两种方法测定了5种候选地质参考物质中铂族元素的含量。     

螯合树脂富集-激光气化等离子体发射光谱测定地质样品中铂族元素和金

采用含N、S功能团的螯合树脂YPA_4富集铂族元素和金。Au、Pt、Pd、Os的吸附率为98％以上,Ir为92％,Ru为90％,Rh为87％。把树脂灰化,用激光将其灰份气化输入等离子体激发,光谱测定。取样5g时,可测定0.2ng/g的Au,0.6ng/g的Os、Ir,0.06ng/g的Pt、Pd、Rh、Ru。标样分析结果与标准植吻合。     

Development and application of new iondashexchange techniques for the separation of the platinum group and other siderophile elements from geological samples

Two new aniondashexchange techniques have been developed for the separation of the platinum group elements Ru, Pd, Ir, Pt and the siderophile metals Re, Ag, Zn and Cd from geological samples following a NiS fire assay digestion procedure. Both methods are simple and permit the isolation of these elements in sufficient purity for quantitative analysis by isotope dilutiondashinductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ID-ICPMS) at yields of 75-95%. The high affinity of the considered elements to anion exchange resins allows the use of small (1.25 ml) columns even for the processing of 5-10 g sized silicate rock samples. Following fire assay digestion and dissolution of the NiS buttons in aqua regia, the samples are loaded onto the resin bed as solutions in 1 M HCl. After elution of the bulk sample matrix with dilute HCl and HNO(3), Zn and Cd are stripped from the column using 0.8 M HNO(3). Small amounts of bromine water are added to the dilute mineral acids for the stabilization of strongly retained Ir(IV). Following this, the iondashexchange techniques permit the sequential elution of Ag, Re and the PGE using 11 M HCl, 8 M HNO(3) and 13.5 M HNO(3). The iondashexchange methods have been applied to separation of Ru, Pd, Re, Ir and Pt from the geological reference material SU-la prior to concentration measurements by ID-ICPMS. Our analytical results are in good agreement with previously published data for this sample and display an external reproducibility (based upon repeat dissolutions) of approximately 2-10% for the elements considered in this study.     

Determination of trace siderophile elements in rock and meteorite samples by radiochemical neutron activation analysis

A simple and effective radiochemical procedure for radiochemical neutron activation analysis (RNAA) of ultra-trace siderophile elements (Ru, Re, Os and Ir) and rare earth elements (REEs) in rock and meteorite samples is presented. To design the procedure, several separation schemes of siderophile elements were examined by using radioactive tracers. By applying the procedure to rock and meteorite samples, we have determined Ru, Re, Os, Ir and REEs, and confirmed that our values were in agreement with the literature values. Our detection limits for Ru, Re, Os, La, Sm and Eu are significantly low compared with those for ICP-MS.     

Determination of platinum-group elements and rhenium in standard geological samples by isotope dilution with mass-spectrometric ending

A method is proposed for determining platinum-group elements, Ru, Pd, Os, Ir, Pt, and Re in geological samples by isotope dilution with mass spectrometric ending after sample decomposition with a mixture (1: 3) of conc. HCl + HNO₃ in a microwave system and the chromatographic separation of the analytes from the matrix on an AG 50W × 8 cation exchanger. The concentrations and isotope ratios are determined on high-resolution mass spectrometers ELEMENT and ELEMENT2. The attained detection limits range from 0.005 ng/g (Ir) to 0.2 ng/g (Pd) in solid samples. The use of isotope dilution improves the accuracy of determination and takes into account the matrix effect and changes in plasma parameters on the analytical signal. The method is tested in the analysis of standard samples of spinel lherzolite (GP-13) and serpentinite (UB-N). The relative standard deviation of the results of analysis is 5–22%, depending on the element and its concentration level (Ru, Pd, Re, Pt). In determining Os and Ir, a certain decrease in the accuracy and repeatability of the results is noticed.     

NAA and UV Laser Ablation ICP-MS for Platinum Group Elements and Gold Determination in NiS Fire Assay Buttons: A Comparison between Two Methods

NAA and UV laser ablation ICP-MS were used to determine platinum group elements (PGEs) and gold in the geological reference materials UMT-1, WPR-1, WMG-1, GPT-4 and GPt-6, after NiS fire assay. Both methods presented results were good agreement with the recommended values. NAA gave more accurate values for Ir (relative errors between 0 to 9%) and UV-LA-ICP-MS presented better results for Pt (relative errors less than 12%, except for WPR-1). UV-LA-ICP-MS showed better sensitivity than NAA for Pd and Os. On the other hand, NAA showed lower detection limits for Ir and Au. Advantages and disadvantages of each method are discussed.     

Determination of Iridium at Sub ng·g−1 Levels in Geological Materials by RNAA

Radiochemical neutron activation method is presented for the determination of iridium in geological materials. The procedure consisted of thermal neutron irradiation of an 500 mg sample followed by sinterization with sodium peroxide, precipitation with tellurium and high resolution gamma-spectrometry with a hyper-pure Ge-detector. The procedure was evaluated by the analysis of the certified reference materials SARM-7 and W-1. The detection limit for the analytical conditions employed was 0.004 ng·g^–1 Ir. The procedure was applied to the reference materials TDB-1 and WGB-1, which present provisional values for Ir concentration, and GXR-3, GXR-5 and GXR-6, which do not present any reported data for Ir contents.     

Isotope dilution inductively coupled plasma quadrupole mass spectrometry in connection with a chromatographic separation for ultra trace determinations of platinum group elements (Pt, Pd, Ru, Ir) in environmental samples

An isotope dilution inductively coupled plasma quadrupole mass spectrometric (ID-ICP-QMS) method was developed for the simultaneous determination of the platinum group elements Pt, Pd, Ru, and Ir in environmental samples. Spike solutions, enriched with the isotopes 194Pt, 108Pd, 99Ru, and 191Ir, were used for the isotope dilution step. Interfering elements were eliminated by chromatographic separation using an anion-exchange resin. Samples were dissolved with aqua regia in a high pressure asher. Additional dissolution of possible silicate portions by hydrofluoric acid was usually not necessary. Detection limits of 0.15 ng x g(-1), 0.075 ng x g(-1), and 0.015 ng x g(-1) were achieved for Pt, Pd, Ru, and Ir, respectively, using sample weights of only 0.2 g. The reliability of the ID-ICP-QMS method was demonstrated by analyzing a Canadian geological reference material and by participating in an interlaboratory study for the determination of platinum and palladium in a homogenized road dust sample. Surface soil, sampled at different distances from a highway, showed concentrations in the range of 0.1-87 ng x g(-1). An exponential decrease of the platinum and palladium concentration with increasing distance and a small anthropogenic contribution to the natural background concentration of ruthenium and iridium was found in these samples.     

低空白镍锍试金预富集中子活化分析测定地球化学标准物质中的铂族元素

研究了镍锍试金预富集中子活化分析测定岩石样品中的铂族元素。纯化捕集剂氧化镍,大大降低了化学分离全流程铂族元素的空白。取样量为50g时,所需溶剂各元素的空白值为(ng/g):Pt<0.05、Pd<0.05、Os<0.01、Ru<0.05、Rh<0.05、Ir=0.002。用平面锗探测器测定Rh使测定下限降低了两个数量级,对几种国标地球化学标准物质的测定结果与推荐值基本符合。     

Studies on 2-(2-thiazolylazo)-5-diethylaminophenol as a precolumn derivatizing reagent in the separation of platinum group metals by high performance liquid chromatography

Five platinum group metals, Pt(II), Ir(IV), Ru(III), Rh(III) and Os(IV) have been separated by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) using 2-(2-thiazolylazo)-5-diethylaminophenol (TADAP) as a precolumn derivatizing reagent. The whole analysis was completed on a C(18) column in 23 min at 574 nm, with the mobile phase of methanol-water (69.5:30.5, v:v) containing 4 mmol l(-1) tetrabutylammonium bromide (TBA Br) and 10 mmol l(-1) pH6.0 acetate buffer. The detection limits (S/N=3) of Pt(II), Ir(IV), Ru(III), Rh(III) and Os(IV) were 0.39, 9.74, 1.64, 0.29 and 1.29 ng ml(-1), respectively. This method was rapid, sensitive and simple.     

Coordination Numbers of Transition Metal Atoms in the Solid and Liquid Phases,According to Ultrasonic Data

Russian Journal of Physical Chemistry A - The coordination numbers of transition metal atoms (Hf, Nb, Cr, Mo, W, Re, Ru, Rh, Os, Ir, Pt) are calculated using acoustic data from 0 K to temperatures...     

Isotope dilution inductively coupled plasma quadrupole mass spectrometry in connection with a chromatographic separation for ultra trace determinations of platinum group elements (Pt, Pd, Ru, Ir) in environmental samples

An isotope dilution inductively coupled plasma quadrupole mass spectrometric (ID-ICP-QMS) method was developed for the simultaneous determination of the platinum group elements Pt, Pd, Ru, and Ir in environmental samples. Spike solutions, enriched with the isotopes ¹⁹⁴Pt, ¹⁰⁸Pd, ⁹⁹Ru, and ¹⁹¹Ir, were used for the isotope dilution step. Interfering elements were eliminated by chromatographic separation using an anion-exchange resin. Samples were dissolved with aqua regia in a high pressure asher. Additional dissolution of possible silicate portions by hydrofluoric acid was usually not necessary. Detection limits of 0.15 ng g^–1, 0.075 ng g^–1, and 0.015 ng g^–1 were achieved for Pt, Pd, Ru, and Ir, respectively, using sample weights of only 0.2 g. The reliability of the ID-ICP-QMS method was demonstrated by analyzing a Canadian geological reference material and by participating in an interlaboratory study for the determination of platinum and palladium in a homogenized road dust sample. Surface soil, sampled at different distances from a highway, showed concentrations in the range of 0.1–87 ng g^–1. An exponential decrease of the platinum and palladium concentration with increasing distance and a small anthropogenic contribution to the natural background concentration of ruthenium and iridium was found in these samples.     

RECP calculations for reactions of H2 with Pt,Os, Ir,and Re — a systematic comparison

Summary Relativistic effective core potential calculations have been carried out for the reactions of Pt, Os, Ir, and Re with H₂. The calculations demonstrate the importance of a singly occupied 6s orbital for forming a strong bond. Pt and Ir have low-lying states with such occupancy, whereas Os and Re only attains this through a rather costly excitation. In consequence, the reaction barriers are considerably smaller for Pt and Ir than for Os and Re.     

Determination of Ultra-Trace Platinum,Palladium, Ruthenium,Rhodium, and Iridium in Rocks and Minerals by Inductively Coupled–Plasma Mass Spectrometry Following Nickel Sulfide Fire Assay Preconcentration and Open Mixed Acid Digestion

Platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), ruthenium (Ru), rhodium (Rh), iridium (Ir), and osmiun (Os) are platinum-group elements with similar physic-chemical properties, and have important applications in geochemistry and environmental chemistry. However, due to their low abundance and inhomogeneous distribution in natural ores as well as the nugget effect, the accurate determination of the platinum-group elements has been a challenge for geological analysis. In this work, self-prepared and purified sodium carbonate (NiCO₃) instead of commercial nickel oxide (NiO) was used as the fire assay collector in order to greatly reduce the reagent blank and method detection limits. In addition, the fuming time of HClO₄ was strictly controlled at 10?min and a high sensitive method was developed for the simultaneous determination of ultra-trace Pt, Pd, Ru, Rh, and Ir in minerals by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) following preconcentration with the nickel sulfide fire assay. Under the optimized conditions, the linear ranges of Pt, Pd, Ru, Rh, and Ir were between 0 and 100?ng mL^?1, with correlation coefficients exceeding 0.9997. The detection limits were 0.015, 0.056, 0.014, 0.004, 0.012?ng mL^?1 (for 10?g sample) for Pt, Pd, Ru, Rh and Ir, respectively. The developed method was successfully applied to analyze Chinese Certified Reference Materials (CRMs) GBW07288, GBW07289, GBW07290, GBW07291, GBW07292, GBW07293, GBW07294, GBW07101, GBW07102 and GBW07201 and the determined values were in good agreement with the certified values. The relative standard deviations (n?=?5) of Pt, Pd, Ru, Rh and Ir were between 3.42% and 6.87% for the determination of GBW07291.     

Ion chromatography of chloro complexes of the platinum group metals and gold using bonded phase silica substrates

The ion chromatography of chloro complexes of Au(III), Ir(IV), Ir(III), Os(IV), Pd(II), Pt(IV), Rh(III) and Ru(III) was investigated using anion-exchange and ion-interaction techniques involving silica-based phases. Chloride was either absent or at a very low level and the pH was high enough to enable steel-fabricated liquid chromatography equipment to be used. With anion exchange, Ir(IV), Ir(III), Os(IV) and Pt(IV) gave good stable chromatography and all produced linear calibration plots, except Ir(IV) owing to instability of the sample solution. The detection limits were Ir(III) 5, Os(IV) 10 and Pt(IV) 2 ng ml^?1. The ion-interaction technique was not so successful, only Au(III) and Pd(II) giving stable chromatography. The calibration plots were slightly curved, although acceptable, and the detection limits were 10 and 30 ng ml^?1 for Au (III) and Pd(II), respectively.     

The simultaneous determination of osmium,ruthenium, iridium and gold in platinum by neutron activation analysis

Osmium, ruthenium, iridiuim and gold can be determined simultaneously in 100-mg platinum samples after irradiation for 11 days at a thermal neutron flux of 4'1011 n.cm^-2.sec^-1. An addition method of analysis is used; samples are dissolved in small sealed silica tubes before activation. After irradiation, Os and Ru are distilled from sulfuric acid-sodium bromate, Ru being determined by counting the 498-keV peak of ¹⁰³Ru; Os is determined after a second distillation. Gold is extracted with ethyl acetate from the residue of the first distillation; the ratio ¹⁹⁸Au/¹⁹⁹Au is a direct measure for the gold content, with appropriate correction for the second-order reaction ¹⁹⁶Pt(n,γ)¹⁹⁷Pt→¹⁹⁷Au(n,γ)¹⁹⁸Au. Ir is determined in the residual aqueous phase using the 317-keV peak of ¹⁹²Ir; a correction for the platinum activity (¹⁹¹Pt) is made. The lower limit of determination is ca. 0.5 p.p.m. for ruthenium, ca. 0.2 p.p.m. for osmium, ca. O.1 p.p.m. for gold and ca. O.1 p.p.m. for iridium. After a separation of Pt from Ir, the sensitivity for Ir can easily be improved to < 10 p.p.b.     

Sulfur resistance of supported metals in 3-thiolene-1,1-dioxide hydrogenation

Supported platinum metals are deactivated in the liquid phase hydrogenation of 3-thiolene-1,1-dioxide. The sulfur resistance of Rh and Pd is by 1–2 orders of magnitude higher than that of Pt, Ir, Ru and Os. The metal resistance normalized to its surface area does not depend on its dispersity and the nature of the support.