Atomization mechanism and determination of Ag, Be, Cd, Li, Na, Sn and Zn in uranium-plutonium matrices by ETA-AAS

The atomization processes involved in the Electrothermal Atomization-Atomic Absorption Spectrometric (ETA-AAS) determination of Ag, Be, Cd, Li, Na, Sn and Zn in the presence of an uranium-plutonium matrix containing 25% Pu have been investigated. The significant fall in the absorbance signal for Ag, Cd, Na and Zn in an uranium matrix and its restoration in the presence of plutonium is probably correlated with the change in the partial pressure of oxygen released from the matrix at/below the signal appearance temperature (T_app). In case of Li and Sn, the signal remains unaffected irrespective of the U-Pu matrix which might be due to a high T_app for these analytes. Regarding Be, the steep suppression of the signal in the presence of the plutonium matrix compared to an uranium matrix can be ascribed to the formation of stable Pu-Be compounds (PuBe₁₃). Based on these studies, analytical procedures have been developed for the direct determination of nanogram amounts of these analytes in an U-Pu matrix with an average precision of 9% RSD.     

Electrothermal atomization atomic absorption spectrometric determination of trace metals in uranium-plutonium fuel materials

Summary Atomic absorption spectrometric methods using the electrothermal mode of atomization developed for the determination of Ag, Be, Ca, Cd, Cr, Co,Cu, Fe, Li, Mn, Na, Ni, Sn and Zn in (U, Pu) solution with 4% plutonium have been described. The carbon rod atomizer has been adapted for glove box operation to enable handling of plutonium containing solution samples. Multielement solution standards with graded concentrations of the analytes and fixed concentration of the matrix are used in the standardization process. Nanogram to sub-nanogram quantities of the analytes have been determined with a precision of better than 9% RSD using 5 l of the sample aliquots.

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Bestimmung von Metallspuren in Uran-Plutonium-Kernbrennstoffen mit Hilfe der ETA-AAS

     

Trace metal assay of U(3)O(8) powder by electrothermal AAS

Methods have been developed for the direct determination of Ag, Ca, K., Li, Mg, Na, Pb, Sn and Zn in U(3)O(8) powder samples by electrothermal AAS. Nanogram and lower amounts of these elements have been determined with a relative standard deviation of 6-16% in mg amounts of sample (either alone or mixed with an equal weight of graphite). The results for NBL reference samples were in reasonable agreement with the certified values. X-Ray diffraction studies on the residues left from the graphite mixtures after the atomization cycle, confirmed the formation of uranium carbide (UC(2)).     

Determination of trace elements of some Egyptian crops by instrumental neutron activation,inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometric and flameless atomic absorption spectrophotometric analysis

Instrumental neutron activation analysis was used for the determination of Al, Br, Ca, Ce, Cl, Co, Cr, Cs, Eu, Fe, K, La, Mg, Mn, Na, Rb, Sb, Sc, Se, Ti, Th, V and Zn, ICP-AES for the determination Al, Ag, Ba, Be, Ca, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ga, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, P, Sc, Sr, Ti, V and Zn and flameless AAS for the determination of Cd, Hg and Pb in egg plant, potatoes, green pepper (Leguminosae), vegetable marrow (Cucurbitaceae), pears, apple (Rosaceae), castor oil plant (Euphorbiaceae), lettuce (compositae), dill, parsley, coriander (Umbelliferae), and in some soil samples collected from Aswan province.     

Determination of trace elements in Egyptian cane sugar (Deshna Factories) by neutron activation,atomic absorption spectrophotometric and inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometric analysis

Multielemental instrumental neutron activation (INAA), inductively coupled plasmaatomic emission spectrometric (ICP-AES) and atomic absorption spectrophotometric (AAS) analyses are utilized for the determination of Ag, Al, As, Au, Ba, Be, Br, Ca, Cd, Ce, Cl, Co, Cr, Cu, Eu, Fe, Ga, Hf, K, La, Li, Lu, Mg, Mn, Na, Nb, Ni, P. Pb, Sb, Sc, Se, Sm, Sn, Sr, Ta, Th, Ti, U, V, W and Zn in sugar cane plant, raw juice, juice in different stages, syrup, deposits, molasses, A, B and C sugar, refinery 1 and 2 sugar, and in soil samples picked up from the immediate vicinity of the cane plant roots at surface, 30 and 60 cm depth.     

微波消解/电感耦合等离子体质谱法同时测定食品纸包装材料与食品模拟物中24种元素

建立了微波消解/电感耦合等离子体质谱(ICP-MS)同时检测食品纸包装材料及3种食品模拟物(纯水、4%乙酸、10%乙醇)中Li,Be,B,Al,V,Cu,Mn,Zn,Cr,Ni,As,Sr,Zr,Se,Mo,Ag,Cd,Sn,Sb,Te,Ba,Hg,Tl,Pb 24种元素的分析方法,并对元素的迁移行为进行了研究。包装材料样品经微波消解后利用ICP-MS检测;迁移试验中的食品模拟物直接利用ICP-MS检测。在优化实验条件下,24种元素在0~1 000μg/L范围内线性关系良好;方法检出限(MLOD)为0.000 3~0.465 mg/kg;在1.0~1 000 mg/kg加标水平下的平均回收率为90.5%~125.3%;相对标准偏差(RSD,n=3)为1.2%~6.8%。该方法前处理简便、灵敏准确、适用范围广,可用于食品纸包装材料中元素含量的测定及迁移行为的研究,从而为食品纸包装材料的质量监督提供了科学依据。     

Determination of trace impurities in uranium, thorium and plutonium matrices by solvent extraction and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry

Studies on the determination of trace metallic impurities in nuclear materials such as uranium, thorium and plutonium are described. The bulk of the matrix is separated by batch extraction from their nitric acid solutions using 2-ethylhexyl hydrogen 2-ethylhexyl phosphonate (KSM-17, equivalent to PC88-A). The final aqueous phase containing the metallic impurities is fed to a high-temperature source inductively coupled plasma and the analysis is carried out employing a computer-controlled multichannel direct-reading spectrometer. The studies also included the recovery of impurities at various acidities and spectral interferences of the above matrices over the analyte elements. Based on the above studies, methods were standardized for the determination of 19 elements, viz. Al, B, Be, Ca, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Si, Zn, Ce, Dy, Eu, Gd and Sm, in U/Th/Pu solutions. The relative standard deviation for various elements is in the range 1-5%.     

Spectral interference study of uranium on other analytes by using CCD based ICP-AES

Due to the multi-electronic nature, uranium is having line rich emission spectra and is expected to interfere during the determination of analytes at the trace level in uranium matrix. Therefore, chemical separation of uranium followed by the determination of trace metallic impurities in the raffinate by ICP-AES is generally adopted procedure in nuclear industries. There is restriction on choosing alternate analytical lines of elements by photomultiplier tube based ICP-AES associated with the polychromator while monochromator needs significant time to scan different analytical lines of all the elements. Since charged coupled detector (CCD) consists of array of pixels, it is having more option in choosing alternative analytical lines of the analytes. Therefore, an attempt was made to study the spectral interference of uranium on different analytical lines of analytes viz. Al, Ga, In, Si, Li, Ti, Mg, Sr, K, Ce, Nd, Lu, Sc, V, Er, Y, Ba, Bi, Pb, W, La, Tl, Sn, Yb, Mo, Sb, Pr and Zr; and the correction factors were evaluated (where ever necessary) using CCD based ICP-AES technique. The sensitivity and the detection limits of the analytical channels of the elements in presence of uranium matrix were calculated. The present study also deals with the identification of suitable analytical lines of uranium and its detection limits.     

Study on the hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry of As, Sb, Bi, Se, Sn, Te and Hg in the presence of cadmium and zinc salts

Summary HG-AAS of As, Sb, Bi, Se, Sn, Te and Hg in the presence of Cd or Zn salts has been studied. It has been found that there is an interference effect on the AAS signal in the presence of these salts. In each case the interference by Cd salts is stronger than that by Zn salts. The decrease of the Te signal in the presence of Cd salts is considerable.     

Determination of analytes at trace level in uranium matrix by ICP-AES without chemical/physical separation

Determination of trace metallic constituents in nuclear materials e.g. U, Pu, Am, Zr etc. by Atomic Emission Spectroscopy requires the separation of the major matrix without the loss of analytes at trace level. For DC Arc carrier distillation technique, carrier is used to separate the matrix physically according to the volatility of the analytes while appropriate extractant in suitable diluent is used for chemical separation in inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). In the present study an attempt was made to develop a methodology for the determination of B, Cd, Mg, Zn, Al, Sr and Sc at trace level (up to 0.1 μg/mL) in uranium matrix without any chemical or physical separation. It involves identification of suitable analytical lines of uranium for its ICP-AES determination; study the spectral interference of uranium to choose interference free analytical lines, optimization of instrumental and experimental parameters etc. The method was validated using synthetic samples.     

Individual determination of uranium and plutonium in a single aliquot

Studies on the individual potentiometric determination of uranium and plutonium in a single aliquot have been initiated recently in our laboratory. It was required to adapt the reported procedures (for the precise determination of uranium and plutonium individually when present together in a sample) at various stages to make them suitable for the successive application of the procedures to the same aliquot. Two alternative schemes are proposed in the present work. In the first, plutonium is determined by HClO₄ oxidation followed by the determination of total uranium and plutonium by Zn(Hg) reduction. In the second, plutonium is determined by AgO oxidation following the determination of total uranium and plutonium by Zn(Hg) reduction. Amount of uranium is computed in both cases from the difference of two determinations. Precision for the assay of plutonium and uranium was found to be ±0.25% and ±0.35%, respectively, at milligram levels.     

Determination of trace level impurities in uranium compounds by ICP-AES after organic extraction

The determination was studied of Al, B, Be, Cd, Ca, Co, Cu, Mg, Mn, Mo, Pb, Si, Sn, V, Cr, Ni, and Fe as trace level impurities in uranium compounds by ICP-AES after extraction of uranium with three different mixtures of di-(2-ethyl-hexyl) phosphate (D2EHP) and tri-(2-ethyl-hexyl)-phosphate (T2EHP) in solvents like toluene, carbon tetrachloride, hexane and cyclohexane. The study was carried out in presence of different concentrations of HCl and HNO(3). A single extraction with D2EHP in cyclohexane using nitric acid as matrix was sufficient to reduce the U(3)O(8) concentration from 100 g/l to 100 microg/ml. The ICP-AES instrumentation applied, allowed the determination of metal concentrations ten-times lower than those usually found in nuclear grade U(3)O(8). To check the efficiency of the extraction and the accuracy of the proposed method, Certified Reference Materials were used in the dissolution and extraction steps. The method described can be used for the determination of trace metals in nuclear grade U(3)O(8).     

微波消解-电感耦合等离子体质谱法测定血液中30种微量元素

建立了微波消解-电感耦合等离子体质谱法定量测定血液中微量元素的方法.采用微波消解进行样品前处理,在硝酸-双氧水混合体系中消解后稀释,电感耦合等离子体质谱法(ICP-MS)测定全血中铜(Cu)、铅(Pb)、锌(Zn)、银(Ag)、钡(Ba)、锡(Sn)、镍(Ni)、钴(Co)、钒(V)、锑(Sb)、铊(Tl)、汞(Hg)、锰(Mn)、钼(Mo)、硒(Se)、铬(Cr)、镉(Cd)、钍(Th)、钛(Ti)、铝(Al)、砷(As)、铁(Fe)、钙(Ca)、镓(Ga)、锶(Sr)、锂(Li)、镁(Mg)、铍(Be)、钠(Na)和钾(K)元素的含量.对样品前处理过程和仪器工作参数进行了优化,通过内标校正法降低基体效应.结果表明,上述元素相关系数R²均大于0.999 8,检测精密度为0.142%～12.856%.方法简单、准确、快速,可精确测定全血中多种微量元素的含量,为全血中元素含量的测定提供了高效可靠的分析手段.     

Direct determination of beryllium, copper and zinc in AlU matrices by electrothermal atomization atomic-absorption spectrometry

An atomic-absorption spectrometric method with electrothermal mode of atomization has been developed for the direct determination of Be, Cu and Zn in AlU (3:1) matrix samples without prior chemical separation of the major matrix. The studies carried out include the effect of the matrix on the analyte absorbance, optimization of sample aliquot and other experimental parameters, and analysis of a number of synthetic samples. Nanogram amounts of the analytes can be determined with a solution aliquot of 5 microlitres containing 25 micrograms of the sample with a precision of 6% or better. The analytical range obtained for these analytes is Be: 2-20 mug/l., Cu: 20-200mug/l. and Zn: 1-40mug/ml in the AlU matrix. The analysis of synthetic samples has shown good agreement with their added contents.     

Evaluation of strontium isotope abundance ratios in combination with multi-elemental analysis as a possible tool to study the geographical origin of ciders

In order to evaluate alternative analytical methodologies to study the geographical origin of ciders, both multi-elemental analysis and Sr isotope abundance ratios in combination with multivariate statistical analysis were estimated in 67 samples from England, Switzerland, France and two Spanish regions (Asturias and the Basque Country). A methodology for the precise and accurate determination of the ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr isotope abundance ratio in ciders by multicollector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS) was developed. Major elements (Na, K, Ca and Mg) were measured by ICP-AES and minor and trace elements (Li, Be, B, Al, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, As, Se, Rb, Sr, Y, Mo, Cd, Sn, Sb, Cs, Ba, La, Ce, W, Tl, Pb, Bi, Th and U) were measured by ICP-MS using a collision cell instrument operated in multitune mode. An analysis of variance (ANOVA test) indicated that group means for B, Cr, Fe, Ni, Cu, Se, Cd, Cs, Ce, W, Pb, Bi and U did not show any significant differences at the 95% confidence level, so these elements were rejected for further statistical analysis. Another group of elements (Li, Be, Sc, Co, Ga, Y, Sn, Sb, La, Tl, Th) was removed from the data set because concentrations were close to the limits of detection for many samples. Therefore, the remaining elements (Na, Mg, Al, K, Ca, Ti, V, Mn, Zn, As, Rb, Sr, Mo, Ba) together with ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr isotope abundance ratio were considered for principal component analysis (PCA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA). Finally, LDA was able to classify correctly 100% of cider samples coming from different Spanish regions, France, England and Switzerland when considering Na, Mg, Al, K, Ca, Ti, V, Mn, Zn, As, Rb, Sr, Mo, Ba and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr isotope abundance ratio as original variables.     

Simultaneous sample preconcentration and matrix removal using field-flow fractionation coupled to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

An on-channel sample preconcentration-matrix removal arrangement, based on coupling field-flow fractionation (FFF) to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), has been constructed for on-line sample pretreatment ICP-MS trace element determination. A commercial FFF system is modified to incorporate an on-channel preconcentration procedure allowing injection of up to 50 ml of sample, which could be preconcentrated by 50–1400 fold. A high molecular weight complexing agent added to the sample forms strong complexes with the measured trace analytes but not with the sample matrix. When the sample-complexing agent mixture is introduced to the FFF unit, the uncomplexed matrix element is removed by permeation through a membrane that separates the FFF sample compartment. The trace analytes remain in the FFF channel, because their high molecular weight complexes do not permeate through the membrane. Preconcentration and matrix elimination occur simultaneously. The matrix-free, preconcentrated sample is introduced directly to the ICP-MS nebulizer. The method was tested using 10-ml sample aliquots that contain As, Cd, Cu, Mo, Pb, Re, Sn, Te, Tl, Y, Zn and Zr analytes and 5000 mg l⁻¹ Ca or Na matrices and ethylene imine polymer complexing agent. Copper and Re isotopic ratio values in reference standards also were determined after preconcentration and matrix element removal.     

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 ...     

On atomization of uranium in plutonium matrix using ETA-AAS

Atomization processes for uranium in aqueous media and in the presence of a plutonium matrix have been studied and a chemical mechanism is proposed. These studies have been utilized for the determination of uranium in plutonium by Electrothermal Atomization- Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (ETA-AAS) within the constraints of its stable carbide forming tendency and complexity caused by formation of plutonium suboxide at high temperatures. In spite of these limitations the analytical range obtained for determination of uranium is 2.5–100 ng with a sample aliquot of 5 μL containing 5 mg/mL plutonium concentration. The precision of the method is evaluated as 9% RSD. Received: 9 September 1997 / Revised: 29 December 1997 / Accepted: 31 December 1997     

高分辨电感耦合等离子体质谱(HR-ICP-MS)法测定土壤污染状况调查样品中的49种元素

全国重点行业企业用地土壤污染状况调查样品分析工作的特点是项目复杂、配套分析方法种类多,缺乏针对大多数无机元素同时测定的方法。建立了一种基于高分辨电感耦合等离子体质谱法(HR-ICP-MS)的分析方法,采用密闭酸溶消解样品,HR-ICP-MS法测定样品中Li、Be、Ti、V、Cr、Mn、Co、Ni、Cu、Zn、Ga、Ge、As、Rb、Sr、Zr、Nb、Mo、Cd、In、Sn、Sb、Te、Cs、Ba、Hf、Ta、W、Tl、Pb、Bi、Th、U以及稀土元素等49种元素。系统研究了质谱干扰并择优选择了测定元素同位素,采用国家一级有证土壤标准物质对方法性能进行了考察,49种元素方法检出限为0.001~0.46 mg/kg,相对标准偏差(RSD,n=8)为0.75%~8.9%,准确度(相对误差RE,Be、As、Cd、Sb)为-5.4%~7.4%,准确度(对数误差ΔlgC,除Te外其余元素)为-0.05~0.04。方法的主要技术参数满足13个企业用地调查分析标准的要求,可为本次调查工作提供一种可借鉴的高效率分析手段。