On-line coupling of ion chromatography with ICP–AES and ICP–MS

Ion chromatography (IC) and atomic spectrometry are sometimes rivalling and sometimes ideally cooperating techniques. The cooperating applications of the on-line coupling of IC and inductively coupled plasma–atomic emission spectroscopy or –mass spectrometry span from ultra trace analysis utilizing ion exchange as preconcentration technique via speciation applications taking advantage of the unique element specific detection offered by atomic spectroscopy until classical IC applications with atomic spectrometry as a sensitive and selective detector. Characteristics of this type of hyphenated technique are the simple physical coupling, the unique sensitivity for most elements and the superior selectivity obtainable for specific applications.     

Development of analytical procedures for determination of total chromium by quadrupole ICP–MS and high-resolution ICP–MS,and hexavalent chromium by HPLC–ICP–MS,in different materials used in the automotive industry

A European directive was recently adopted limiting the use of hazardous substances such as Pb, Hg, Cd, and Cr(VI) in vehicle manufacturing. From July 2003 a maximum of 2 g Cr(VI) will be authorised per vehicle in corrosion-preventing coatings of key components. As no standardised procedures are available to check if produced vehicles are in agreement with this directive, the objective of this work was to develop analytical procedures for total chromium and Cr(VI) determination in these materials. The first step of this study was to optimise digestion procedures for total chromium determination in plastic and metallic materials by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP–MS). High resolution (HR) ICP–MS was used to examine the influence of polyatomic interferences on the detection of the ⁵²Cr⁺ and ⁵³Cr⁺ isotopes. If there was strong interference with m/z 52 for plastic materials, it was possible to use quadrupole ICP–MS for m/z 53 if digestions were performed with HNO₃+H₂O₂. This mixture was also necessary for digestion of chromium from metallic materials. Extraction procedures in alkaline medium (NH₄⁺/NH₃ buffer solution at pH 8.9) assisted by sonication were developed for determining Cr(VI) in four different corrosion-preventing coatings by HPLC–ICP–MS. After optimisation and validation with the only solid reference material certified for its Cr(VI) content (BCR 545; welding dusts), the efficiency of this extraction procedure for screw coatings was compared with that described in the EN ISO 3613 standard generally used in routine laboratories. For coatings comprising zinc and aluminium passivated in depth with chromium oxides the extraction procedure developed herein enabled determination of higher Cr(VI) concentrations. This was also observed for the screw covered with a chromium passivant layer on zinc–nickel. For coating comprising a chromium passivant layer on alkaline zinc the standardized extraction procedure was more efficient. In the case of painted metallic plate, because of a reactive matrix towards Cr(VI), its extraction without degradation was difficult to perform.     

Novel separation method for highly sensitive speciation of cancerostatic platinum compounds by HPLC–ICP–MS

A high-performance liquid chromatography–inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HPLC–ICP–MS) method is presented for analysis of cisplatin, monoaquacisplatin, diaquacisplatin, carboplatin, and oxaliplatin in biological and environmental samples. Chromatographic separation was achieved on pentafluorophenylpropyl-functionalized silica gel. For cisplatin, carboplatin, and oxaliplatin limits of detection of 0.09, 0.10, and 0.15 g L^–1, respectively, were calculated at m/z 194, using aqueous standard solutions. (3 L injection volume). The method was utilized for model experiments studying the stability of carboplatin and oxaliplatin at different chloride concentrations simulating wastewater and surface water conditions. It was found that a high fraction of carboplatin is stable in ultrapure water and in solutions containing 1.5 mol L^–1 Cl^–, whereas oxaliplatin degradation was increased by increasing the chloride concentration. In order to support the assessment of oxaliplatin eco-toxicology, the method was tested for speciation of patient urine. The urine sample contained more than 17 different reaction products, which demonstrates the extensive biotransformation of the compound. In a second step of the study the method was successfully evaluated for monitoring cancerostatic platinum compounds in hospital waste water.     

XRF–ICP–AES法测定土壤中的主次元素

建立X射线荧光光谱–电感耦合等离子体原子发射光谱法测定土壤中主次元素含量的方法。采用混合熔剂Li2B4O7–Li BO2(质量比为67∶33)与试样在高温中熔融制得玻璃熔片,以X荧光法分析土壤样品中主元素(Al,Si,Fe,S,Mn,P,Ti);采用混合酸消解玻璃熔片,以电感耦合等离子体原子发射光谱法分析土壤样品中次元素(Cd,Cr,Cu,Ni,Pb,Na,K,Ca,Mg,Co)。在选定的条件下,各元素的线性相关系数大于0.999 3,方法检出限为0.5~100μg/g,重复测定结果的相对标准偏差均小于5%(n=9)。采用该法对土壤标准物质样品进行测定,测定结果与标准值一致。该方法操作简便、测定结果准确可靠,适用于土壤样品中主次元素的测定。     

ICP–OES法测定钢渣中的全铁

建立了电感耦合等离子体发射光谱(ICP–OES)测定钢渣中全铁的方法。试样用硝酸–氢氟酸消化后,经碳酸钠–硼酸混合熔剂熔解,采用ICP–OES法测定其中的全铁含量。以钢渣标准样品绘制标准曲线,Fe2O3的质量分数在0~34.33%范围内与发射强度呈良好的线性,线性相关系数r=0.999 8。标准样品测定结果的相对标准偏差为0.004 4%~0.036%(n=5),相对误差为0.80%~2.5%。用ICP–OES法与EDTA滴定法对钢渣样品进行测定,两种方法测定结果相一致。该方法简便、快速,可用于钢渣中全铁的定量分析。     

微波消解–ICP–MS法测定话梅中的二氧化钛

建立了微波消解–电感耦合等离子体质谱仪(ICP–MS)测定话梅中二氧化钛的方法。话梅样品用硝酸及过氧化氢经微波消解仪消解,将消解液除酸定容后用电感耦合等离子体质谱仪测定,以内标法测得钛的含量,并转换成样品中的二氧化钛含量。钛含量在0~500μg/kg范围内与信号强度呈良好的线性,线性相关系数r=0.999 9,检出限为0.04μg/kg。在0.06,0.15,0.30μg/kg的添加水平下,加标回收率为80%~100%,相对标准偏差为3.2%~3.9%(n=6)。该法稳定性好,测定结果准确、可靠。     

Trace analysis of high-purity graphite by LA–ICP–MS

Laser-ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA–ICP–MS) has been established as a very efficient and sensitive technique for the direct analysis of solids. In this work the capability of LA–ICP–MS was investigated for determination of trace elements in high-purity graphite. Synthetic laboratory standards with a graphite matrix were prepared for the purpose of quantifying the analytical results. Doped trace elements, concentration 0.5 μg g^–1, in a laboratory standard were determined with an accuracy of 1% to ± 7% and a relative standard deviation (RSD) of 2–13%. Solution-based calibration was also used for quantitative analysis of high-purity graphite. It was found that such calibration led to analytical results for trace-element determination in graphite with accuracy similar to that obtained by use of synthetic laboratory standards for quantification of analytical results. Results from quantitative determination of trace impurities in a real reactor-graphite sample, using both quantification approaches, were in good agreement. Detection limits for all elements of interest were determined in the low ng g^–1 concentration range. Improvement of detection limits by a factor of 10 was achieved for analyses of high-purity graphite with LA–ICP–MS under wet plasma conditions, because the lower background signal and increased element sensitivity. Received: 4 January 2001 / Revised: 27 March 2001 / Accepted: 28 March 2001     

Sensitive redox speciation of neptunium by CE–ICP–MS

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) was used to separate the neptunium oxidation states Np(IV) and Np(V), which are the only oxidation states of Np that are stable under environmental conditions. The CE setup was coupled to an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (Agilent 7500ce) using a Mira Mist CE nebulizer and a Scott-type spray chamber. The combination of the separation capacity of CE with the detection sensitivity of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) allows identification and quantification of Np(IV) and Np(V) at the trace levels expected in the far field of a nuclear waste repository. Limits of detection of 1?×?10^-9 and 5?×?10^-10 mol L^-1 for Np(IV) and Np(V), respectively, were achieved, with a linear range from 10^-9 to 10^-6 mol L^-1. The method was applied to study the redox speciation of the Np remaining in solution after interaction of 5?×?10^-7 mol L^-1 Np(V) with Opalinus Clay. Under mildly oxidizing conditions, a Np sorption of 31% was found, with all the Np remaining in solution being Np(V). A second sorption experiment performed in the presence of Fe²⁺ led to complete sorption of the Np onto the clay. After desorption with HClO₄, a mixture of Np(IV) and Np(V) was found in solution by CE–ICP–MS, indicating that some of the sorbed Np had been reduced to Np(IV) by Fe²⁺.     

GC–ICP–MS法测定丙烯中的痕量砷化氢

建立GC–ICP–MS直接进样法测定丙烯中痕量砷化氢的方法。采用GS Gaspro毛细柱进行分离,气相色谱载气流速为3.5 mL/min,分流比为6∶1,ICP–MS积分时间为0.5 s,载气流速为0.83 L/min,增敏气为含有20%(体积分数)氮气的氩气,压力为206.85 kPa。砷化氢的检出限为0.09 nL/L,在5 nL/L和80 nL/L加标水平下的回收率分别为102%和104%,测定结果的相对标准偏差小于3%(n=6)。结果表明该方法简单快速,可用于丙烯中痕量砷化氢的测定。     

Tree ring microanalysis by LA–ICP–MS for environmental monitoring: validation or refutation? Two case histories

An empirical approach is presented for validating trace metal profiles in tree rings for use as environmental archives. Concentration profiles of Zn, Cd, Cu, Pb and U in tree rings and lake sediments are compared for assessing the reliability of the former as an environmental proxy. Laser ablation sampling in conjunction with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA–ICP–MS) is used for the direct analysis of tree rings. An optimised analytical protocol is devised with particular emphasis on sample preparation and quantification strategy. Significant correlations in the two environmental archives were found for zinc, copper and uranium, while cadmium and lead temporal trends, although showing enrichment in recent years, do not agree with the concentration profiles in lacustrine sediment cores. A chemical model based on metal affinity for hard type ligands present in wood is proposed to explain these results. Moreover, spring and winter wood are analysed separately thanks to the high spatial resolution of laser ablation sampling. As a result, enhanced metal loadings are shown to lead to intraring differences in trace metal concentrations.     

Narrow-bore HPLC–ICP–MS for speciation of copper in mutant mouse neonates bearing a defect in Cu metabolism

Minute amounts of tissue supernatants from mouse neonates bearing a mutation in the copper (Cu)-transporter gene, Atp7a, were injected into narrow-bore HPLC coupled with an inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometer (ICP–MS) to examine Cu metabolism. In the 14-day-old mutant neonates, Cu accumulated in the intestine in the metallothionein (MT)-bound form, and mRNA expression of the two MT isoforms was increased. Meanwhile, Cu in the MT-bound form (Cu-MT) was depleted in the liver and mRNA expression decreased in comparison with wild-type mice. These results suggest that Cu is not secreted by intestinal microvillus cells into bloodstream due to the defect of Atp7a, and systemic depletion of Cu occurred. On the other hand, in the kidneys of mutant mice, Cu accumulated in the MT-bound form despite the fact that mRNA expression of the two MT isoforms was low. Part of Cu-MT in microvillus cells may be released into bloodstream at turnover and be preferably taken up by the kidneys. Consequently, the mRNA expression of MT isoforms was not always coincident with the amounts of MT proteins binding Cu, and narrow bore HPLC–ICP–MS used for MT protein determination is a complementary technique to real-time RT-PCR used for MT mRNA determination in Cu speciation. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Reaction chemistry and collisional processes in multipole devices for resolving isobaric interferences in ICP–MS

A low-level review of the fundamentals of ion-molecule interactions is presented. These interactions are used to predict the efficiencies of collisional fragmentation, energy damping and reaction for a variety of neutral gases as a function of pressure in a rf-driven collision/reaction cell. It is shown that the number of collisions increases dramatically when the ion energies are reduced to near-thermal (< 0.1 eV), because of the ion–induced dipole and ion–dipole interaction. These considerations suggest that chemical reaction can be orders of magnitude more efficient at improving the analyte signal/background ratio than can collisional fragmentation. Considerations that lead to an appropriate selection of type of gas, operating pressure, and ion energies for efficient operation of the cell for the alleviation of spectral interferences are discussed. High efficiency (large differences between reaction efficiencies of the analyte and interference ions, and concomitant suppression of secondary chemistry) might be required to optimize the chemical resolution (determination of an analyte in the presence of an isobaric interference) when using ion-molecule chemistry to suppress the interfering ion. In many instances atom transfer to the analyte, which shifts the analytical m/z by the mass of the atom transferred, provides high chemical resolution, even when the efficiency of reaction is relatively low. Examples are given of oxidation, hydroxylation, and chlorination of analyte ions (V⁺, Fe⁺, As⁺, Se⁺, Sr⁺, Y⁺, and Zr⁺) to improve the capability of determination of complex samples. Preliminary results are given showing O-atom abstraction by CO from CaO⁺ to enable the determination of Fe in high-Ca samples.     

ICP–AES法测定低合金钢中的微量硼

采用电感耦合等离子体发射光谱法(ICP–AES)测定低合金钢中硼元素的含量。采用密闭微波消解法对样品进行溶解,考察了铁基体元素和共存元素对硼元素测定的影响,确定了硼元素的分析线为208.959 nm,通过基体匹配消除基体的影响。硼的质量浓度在0~5.00μg/m L范围内与谱线强度呈良好的线性,相关系数r2=0.999 9,方法检出限为0.004μg/m L,加标回收率为96%~103%,测定结果的相对标准偏差为1.5%~2.9%(n=8)。该方法具有较高的灵敏度和准确度,满足低合金钢中硼元素的分析要求。     

Formic acid solubilization of marine biological tissues for multi-element determination by ETAAS and ICP–AES

A simple, fast method is described for the determination of Ag, As, Cd, Cu, Cr, Fe, Ni, and Se in marine biological tissues by electrothermal atomic-absorption spectrometry (ETAAS) and Na, Ca, K, Mg, Fe, Cu, and Mn by inductively coupled plasma–atomic emission spectrometry (ICP–AES). Solubilization of the biological tissue was achieved by using formic acid with vortex mixing followed by heating to 50°C in an ultrasonic bath. Once solubilized, the tissues were diluted to an appropriate volume with water for analysis. Aliquots were sampled into a graphite furnace and ICP–AES using a conventional autosampler. The method was validated by use of biological certified reference materials from NRC, DORM-2, DOLT-2, DOLT-3, LUTS-1, TORT-2, and NIST SRMs 1566b and 2976. Simplicity and reduced sample-preparation time prove to be the major advantages to the technique.     

微波消解–ICP–AES法测定罗布麻叶中16种微量元素

建立微波消解–ICP–AES法测定罗布麻叶中Na,Ca,Mg,Fe,Al,P,Mn,Ni,Cu,Zn,Ti,Se,Ba,Pb,Sr,Cd 16种微量元素含量的方法。以HNO_3–H_2O_2–HF溶液(6∶4∶1)为消解体系,样品经微波消解后,用ICP–AES法对罗布麻叶中16种元素含量进行测定。各元素的质量浓度在0.01~1.00 mg/L范围内与光谱强度呈良好的线性关系,线性相关系数r>0.999,检出限在0.000 5~0.008 0 mg/kg之间。加标回收率为87.56%~101.47%,测定结果的相对标准偏差为1.2%~3.42%(n=6)。该方法操作简单,准确度好,灵敏度高,可用于罗布麻叶中微量元素分析。     

微波消解–ICP–AES法测定装甲材料中的铌含量

建立ICP–AES法测定装甲材料中铌含量的的方法。采用盐酸–硝酸–氢氟酸微波消解样品,检测器为CID固态检测器,检测波长为309.417 nm。在选定的测定条件下,标准工作曲线线性范围为0.005%~1.0%,线性相关系数为0.999 7,检出限为0.000 68%,测定结果的相对标准偏差不大于3%(n=10),加标回收率为96.0%~98.7%。该方法操作简单,测定结果准确可靠,可用于装甲材料中铌含量的测定。     

HPLC–ICP–MS法测定地表水体中砷的形态

建立了高效液相色谱和电感耦合等离子体质谱联用技术测定水中砷形态的方法。对高效液相色谱和电感耦合等离子体质谱的实验条件如流动相的p H值及浓度、RF功率、采样深度、载气和补偿气流速等进行了优化。测定5种砷形态的线性范围为2.5~30.0μg/L,线性相关系数大于0.999,5种砷形态的检出限在0.10~0.15μg/L之间。对江、湖和河流3类地表水体样品分别加入2.0,5.0,15.0μg/L砷形态混合标准溶液进行回收试验,加标回收率为91.6%~104.5%,测定结果的相对标准偏差为1.5%~4.6%(n=6)。该方法灵敏、高效,适合于水中砷形态的测定。     

Application of LA–ICP–MS in polar ice core studies

The direct determination of element signatures in polar ice core samples from Greenland by laser ablation with subsequent inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry analysis has been investigated. A cryogenic sample chamber enables the element determination in ice directly from the solid (frozen) state. A procedure was developed to analyse up to 38 elements (traces: Mg, Al, Fe, Zn, Cd, Pb and rare earth elements; minor constituents: Na) in ice samples from Greenland with a previously unachievable spatial resolution of 4 mm along the core axis. This resolution is helpful to detect seasonal variations of element concentration in thin annual layers of deep ice. We report operating conditions and analytical performance of the experimental set up, the improvement of signal stability by (17)OH internal standardisation and application of a desolvation unit. Calibration of the system was performed with frozen multielement standard solutions along a special preparation procedure. Detection limits for the tracers Na, Mg (sea salt), Al (mineral dust) and Zn (anthropogenic source) are 0.1-1 microg kg(-1). Best detection limits in the range of 0.001-0.01 microg kg(-1 )were reached for Co, Pb and all rare earth elements. To validate the method, frozen standard reference materials were measured. The recovery is about +/-10%. Greenland ice core samples from different ages were analysed with the new technique. The results obtained by laser ablation were compared with values from solution analysis, available published data and the particle content. Most elements have shown good correlation with the particle content in the Greenland samples; however, differences could be seen between the values obtained by laser ablation and solution bulk analysis after a tri-acid digestion. The influence of particles is discussed. The high spatially resolved 2D mapping of element concentrations shows strong inhomogeneities along the core axis most probably due to seasonal variations of element deposition.     

Development of a procedure for the multi-element determination of trace elements in wine by ICP–MS

An inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometric (ICP–MS) procedure has been developed for the determination of trace elements in wine. The procedure consists in simple 1+1 dilution of the wine and semi-quantitative analysis (without external calibration) using In as internal standard. Thirty-one elements at concentrations ranging from 0.1 mg mL^–1 to 0.5 ng mL^–1 can be determined by ICP–MS analysis with and without digestion. It was investigated whether a matrix effect observed for EtOH in the wine matrix can be overcome by application of a micro-concentric nebulizer with a membrane desolvator (MCN 6000). The results obtained for the MCN 6000 are compared with those obtained by use of a conventional Meinhard nebulizer. It is shown that the observed matrix effect can only be compensated by use of an internal standard for the Meinhard nebulizer, but not for the MCN 6000. Results for ICP–MS are compared with those obtained by total reflection X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (TXRF).