Determination of rare earth impurities in high purity gadolinium oxide by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry after 2-ethylhexylhydrogen-ethylhexy phosphonate extraction chromatographic separation

A method was developed for the determination of rare earth impurities in high purity Gd(2)O(3) by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The matrix suppression effect of Gd(2)O(3) on signals of rare earth impurities was compensated for by Re internal standardization. The spectra overlap interferences from GdH, GdO, GdOH(n) (n=1-3) on Tb, Tm, Yb and Lu were eliminated by 2-thylhexylhydrogen-2-ethylhexy phosphonate (EHEHP) extraction chromatographic separation. The detection limits for REEs were 0.005-0.017 ng ml(-1) in solution and 0.002-0.05 mug g(-1) in solid. Recoveries of spiked sample for REEs were from 88 to 121% with the precision of 1.0-7.5% RSD. Determination of trace REEs in two Gd(2)O(3) samples were performed. The method can be applied to analysis of 99.99-99.9999% high purity Gd(2)O(3).