Determination of rare earth elements in human hair and wheat flour reference materials by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry with dry ashing and microwave digestion

A method was developed for the determination of all rare earth elements (REEs) at sub ng g⁻¹ levels in human hair (GBW 09101, SRM, Republic of China) and wheat flour (GBW 08503, SRM, Republic of China) by Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The values obtained by dry ashing and microwave oven digestion procedures were compared with those obtained by traditional open vessel acid digestion method. The validity of the analytical procedure was examined by analyzing spiked samples and two vegetables (GBW 07603 and GBW 07605, SRMs, Republic of China). The results are satisfactory. The detection limits for 14 REEs ranged from 0.0039 to 0.0003 ng cm⁻³ in solution and the quantification limits ranged from 0.16 to 0.01 ng g⁻¹ in solid sample. The precision for most REEs were less than 10% RSD.     

Direct determination of trace rare earth elements in ancient porcelain samples with slurry sampling electrothermal vaporization inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

A method for the direct determination of trace rare earth elements in ancient porcelain samples by slurry sampling fluorinating electrothermal vaporization inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry was developed with the use of polytetrafluoroethylene as fluorinating reagent. It was found that Si, as a main matrix element in ancient porcelain sample, could be mostly removed at the ashing temperature of 1200 °C without considerable losses of the analytes. However, the chemical composition of ancient porcelain sample is very complicated, which makes the influences resulting from other matrix elements not be ignored. Therefore, the matrix effect of ancient porcelain sample was also investigated, and it was found that the matrix effect is obvious when the matrix concentration was larger than 0.8 g l^− 1. The study results of particle size effect indicated that when the sample particle size was less than 0.057 mm, the particle size effect is negligible. Under the optimized operation conditions, the detection limits for rare earth elements by fluorinating electrothermal vaporization inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry were 0.7 ng g^− 1 (Eu)–33.3 ng g^− 1(Nd) with the precisions of 4.1% (Yb)–10% (La) (c = 1 μg l^− 1, n = 9). The proposed method was used to directly determine the trace rare earth elements in ancient porcelain samples produced in different dynasty (Sui, Ming and Qing), and the analytical results are satisfactory.     

Comparison of two digestion procedures for the determination of lead in lichens by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

The efficiency of two procedures for the digestion of lichen was investigated using a heating block and a microwave oven. In the open vessels, concentrated nitric acid was added to the samples, left for 1 h, and the addition of 30% (v / v) hydrogen peroxide completed the digestion. In the closed system, the complete digestion was performed using concentrated nitric acid and hydrogen peroxide, reducing the amount of chemicals, time and contamination risk. Both digestion methods gave comparable results, and recoveries were statistically not different. For a lichen sample spiked with 10 μg Pb, the recovery was 111% and 110% using microwave and heating block digestion, respectively, while it was 100% and 103% for a 100 μg Pb spike. For the determination by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry samples were diluted 20 times with water and a volume of 20 μL was injected into the graphite furnace without chemical modifier. Pyrolysis and atomization temperatures of 700 °C and 1500 °C, respectively, were used. The characteristic mass was 8.4 ± 0.6 pg for aqueous calibration solutions and 8.9 ± 0.8 pg for samples. Calibration was against matrix matched standards. The recovery test showed some contamination problem with the lowest concentrations in both procedures. The detection limits were 4.4 μg L^− 1 with microwave oven and 5.4 μg L^− 1 with the heating block in the undiluted blank.     

Counter-current chromatography for oil analysis: Retention features and kinetic effects

Application of counter-current chromatography (CCC) for oil analysis has been suggested for the first time. CCC looks very promising as a tool for pre-concentration and isolation of trace elements from oil. Features of stationary phase retention of two-phase liquid systems (oil or oil products–aqueous nitric acid solutions) in CCC have been investigated. The influence of physicochemical properties of crude oil and oil products used as a mobile phase on the volume of stationary phase (acidic aqueous solutions) retained in CCC was studied. Chromatographic behavior of several oil samples was studied. It has been shown that physicochemical properties of test oil influence its chromatographic behavior. Optimal values of density and viscosity (ρ < 0.85 g/cm³, n < 7 cSt) of crude oil and oil products that could be analyzed using CCC were estimated. The influence of the column rotational speed and flow rate of mobile phase on the stationary phase retention was also investigated. It is known that kinetic aspects (mass transfer of elements between phases) can play a very important role in selecting an optimal composition of stationary phase for the pre-concentration of elements from oil. The influence of nitric acid concentration in the stationary phase on mass transfer was studied. Kinetic characteristic for trace element recovery has been investigated for the optimization of pre-concentration conditions of trace elements from crude oil and oil products. The extraction recoveries of Zn, Mn, Fe, Ni, V, Cu, Cd, Pb and Ba by CCC in dynamic mode are in the range of 75–95% while they are lower than 35% under batch conditions.     

Controlled dissolution of silicon dioxide layers for depth resolved multielement analysis by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry

Dissolution procedures were developed to control the number of surface layers removed, in an attempt to achieve depth resolved analysis by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). NIST 612 glass was chosen because it is a homogeneous material with many elements at interesting concentrations, ~ 50 ppm. Varying dissolution time and HF concentration resulted in the reproducible removal of SiO₂ layers as thin as 70 Å deep. Dissolved trace metals were determined after dilution by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) with a magnetic sector instrument. The amount removed was determined from the concentration of a major element, Ca. With the exception of Zn, trace metal concentrations agreed reasonably well with their certified values for removal depths of 500, 300 and 150 Å. Zinc concentration was significantly high in all dissolutions indicating either a contamination problem or that Zn is removed at a faster rate than Ca. For the dissolutions that removed 70 Å of SiO₂, Cr, Mn, Co, Sr, Cd, Ce, Dy, Er, Yb and U recovery results agreed with their certified values (~ 50 ppm); Ti, As, Mo, Ba, and Th could not be determined because net intensities were below 3σ of the blank; and measured concentrations for Cu, Pb and Zn were well above the certified values.     

High-Temperature Liquid Chromatography Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry hyphenation for the combined organic and inorganic analysis of foodstuffs

The coupling of a High-Temperature Liquid Chromatography system (HTLC) with an Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometer (ICP-AES) is reported for the first time. This hyphenation combines the separation efficiency of HTLC with the detection power of a simultaneous ICP-AES system and allows the combined determination of organic compound and metals. The effluents of the column were introduced into the spectrometer and the chromatograms for organic compounds were obtained by plotting the carbon emission signal at a characteristic wavelength versus time. As regards metals, they were determined by injecting a small sample volume between the exit of the column and the spectrometer and taking the emission intensity for each one of the elements simultaneously. Provided that in HTLC the effluents emerged at high temperatures, an aerosol was easily generated at the exit of the column. Therefore, the use of a pneumatic nebulizer as a component of a liquid sample introduction system in the ICP-AES could be avoided, thus reducing the peak dispersion and limits of detection by a factor of two. The fact that a hot liquid stream was nebulized made it necessary to use a thermostated spray chamber so as to avoid the plasma cooling as a cause of the excessive mass of solvent delivered to it. Due to the similarity in sample introduction, an Evaporative Light Scattering Detector (ELSD) was taken as a reference. Comparatively speaking, limits of detection were of the same order for both HTLC–ICP-AES and HTLC–ELSD, although the latter provided better results for some compounds (from 10 to 20 mg L^?1 and 5–10 mg L^?1, respectively). In contrast, the dynamic range for the new hyphenation was about two orders of magnitude wider. More importantly, HTLC–ICP-AES provided information about the content of both organic (glucose, sucrose, maltose and lactose at concentrations from roughly 10 to 400 mg L^?1) as well as inorganic (magnesium, calcium, sodium, zinc, potassium and boron at levels included within the 6–3000 mg L^?1) species. The new development was applied to the analysis of several food samples such as milk, cream, candy, isotonic beverage and beer. Good correlation was found between the data obtained for the two detectors used (i.e., ICP-AES and ELSD).     

Effect of gamma irradiation on the antimicrobial and free radical scavenging activities of Glycyrrhiza glabra root

The efficacy of gamma irradiation as a method of decontamination for food and herbal materials is well established. In the present study, Glycyrrhiza glabra roots were irradiated at doses 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 kGy in a cobalt-60 irradiator. The irradiated and un-irradiated control samples were evaluated for phenolic contents, antimicrobial activities and DPPH scavenging properties. The result of the present study showed that radiation treatment up to 20 kGy does not affect the antifungal and antibacterial activity of the plant. While sample irradiated at 25 kGy does showed changes in the antibacterial activity against some selected pathogens. No significant differences in the phenolic contents were observed for control and samples irradiated at 5, 10 and 15 kGy radiation doses. However, phenolic contents increased in samples treated with 20 and 25 kGy doses. The DPPH scavenging activity significantly (p<0.05) increased in all irradiated samples of the plant.     

A novel approach for determining total titanium from titanium dioxide nanoparticles suspended in water and biosolids by digestion with ammonium persulfate

Titanium dioxide (i.e. TiO₂) in nano-form is a constituent of many nanomaterials that are used in sunscreens, cosmetics, industrial products and in biomedical applications. Quantification of TiO₂ nanoparticles in various matrixes is a topic of great interest for researchers studying the potential health and environmental impacts of nanoparticles. However, analysis of TiO₂ as Ti⁴⁺ is difficult because current digestion techniques require use of strong acids that may be a health and safety risk in the laboratory. To overcome this problem, we developed a new method to digest TiO₂ nanoparticles using ammonium persulfate as a fusing reagent. The digestion technique requires short times to completion and optimally requires only 1 g of fusing reagent. The fusion method showed >95% recovery of Ti⁴⁺ from 6 μg mL^?1 aqueous suspensions prepared from 10 μg mL^?1 suspension of different forms of TiO_2, including anatase, rutile and mixed nanosized crystals, and amorphous particles. These recoveries were greater than open hot-plate digestion with a tri-acid solution and comparable to microwave digestion with a tri-acid solution. Cations and anions commonly found in natural waters showed no significant interferences when added to samples in amounts of 10 ng to 110 mg, which is a much broader range of these ions than expected in environmental samples. Using ICP-MS for analysis, the method detection limit (MDL) was determined to be 0.06 ng mL^?1, and the limit of quantification (LOQ) was 0.20 ng mL^?1. Analysis of samples of untreated and treated wastewater and biosolids collected from wastewater treatment plants yielded concentrations of TiO₂ of 1.8 and 1.6 ng mL^?1 for the wastewater samples, respectively, and 317.4 ng mg^?1 dry weights for the biosolids. The reactions between persulfate ions and TiO₂ were evaluated using stoichiometric methods and FTIR and XRD analysis. A formula for the fusing reaction is proposed that involves the formation of sulfate radicals.     

Micro-electrodeposition in the presence of ionic liquid for the preconcentration of trace amounts of Fe,Co, Ni and Zn from aqueous samples

The paper presents the preconcentration of trace elements via electrodeposition onto a (micro)aluminum cathode in the presence of ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate [BMIM][PF₆] as a supporting electrolyte. The advantages of the proposed method include very simple instrumentation for the preconcentration of trace elements and low-cost reagents. The experiment showed that the use of ionic liquid in the electrodeposition process significantly improves sensitivity, recovery and detection limits for the determination of trace amounts of iron, cobalt, nickel and zinc. The preconcentrated metals were determined using X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. The optimum parameters for electrodeposition such as pH, the volume of the analyzed solution, the voltage and the deposition time were studied. Under the optimized conditions, the detection limits were 5, 2, 3 and 6 μg L^− 1 for iron, cobalt, nickel and zinc, respectively. The precision and recovery of the method were in the range of 3–5.5%, and 92–103%, respectively. The calibration was performed using aqueous standards of Fe(III), Co(II), Ni(II) and Zn(II) in the range 0.01–0.25 mg L^− 1. The method was applied successfully in water analysis.     

Reduction of polyatomic interferences in biological material using dynamic reaction cell ICP-MS

An analytical method is described for the routine quantification of five elements (As, Cr, Fe, Ni, and Se) in plants and animal feedstuffs using dynamic reaction cell inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-DRC-MS) after microwave digestion. Methane (for Cr, Fe, Ni, and Se) and oxygen (for As) were used as reaction gases to reduce polyatomic interferences. Optimization of the gas flow rate and the quadrupole dynamic bandpass tuning parameter (RPq) was carried out for the method. Detection limits (LOD) were in the range of 0.03–0.65 µg L^? 1 and were significantly lower compared to the standard mode without DRC. The trueness of the method was tested using three reference materials from Round robin tests. Results were well in accordance with the certified values. Furthermore, DRC data were examined by analyzing the same samples using sector field ICP-MS (SF-ICP-MS) and an ICP-MS equipped with collision cell technology (ICP-CCT-MS). The data obtained were in the confidence range of the reference material, too. The investigated method was applied for the analysis of grass and corn silage samples.     

Conventional and microwave induced pyrolysis of coffee hulls for the production of a hydrogen rich fuel gas

This paper describes the conventional and microwave-assisted pyrolysis of coffee hulls at 500, 800 and 1000 °C. The influence of the pyrolysis method and temperature on the product yields and on the characteristics of the pyrolysis products is discussed. It was found that the pyrolysis of this particular residue gives rise to a larger yield of the gas fraction compared to the other fractions, even at relatively low temperatures. A comparison of microwave-assisted pyrolysis and conventional pyrolysis showed that microwave treatment produces more gas and less oil than conventional pyrolysis. In addition, the gas from the microwave has much higher H₂ and syngas (H₂ + CO) contents (up to 40 and 72 vol.%, respectively) than those obtained by conventional pyrolysis (up to 30 and 53 vol.%, respectively), in an electric furnace, at similar temperatures. From the pyrolysis fraction yields and their higher heating values it was found that the energy distribution in the pyrolysis products decreases as follows: gas > solid > oil. Moreover, the energy accumulated in the gas increases with the pyrolysis temperature. By contrast, the energy accumulated in the char decreases with the temperature. This effect is enhanced when microwave pyrolysis is used.     

Quantitative determination of trace metals in high-purity silicon carbide powder by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry without binders

We have developed a laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) method to directly determine the concentrations of trace metals in high-purity powdery silicon carbide (SiC) samples. The sample preparation procedure is simple and rapid. The sample was formed into pellets using no binders and heated at 1000 °C for 2 h. The operation parameters for LA and ICP-MS were optimized to achieve a table signal intensity and high sensitivity. National Institute of Standards and Technology Standard Reference Materials glasses were chosen as calibration standards, with ²⁹Si chosen as the internal standard. The relative sensitivity factor obtained from the glass matrix was used to calculate the concentrations of analytes in the SiC ceramic samples. The regression correlation coefficients of the calibration curves for elements with internal standard correction ranged from 0.9981 to 0.9999, which are better than those obtained with an external standard correction method only. The relative standard deviation of the measured trace element concentrations was less than 5%. The limits of detection were 0.02, 0.08, 0.04, 0.005, 0.01, 0.02, 0.004, 0.07, and 0.006 mg kg^− 1 for B, Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Co, Cu, and Sr, respectively. The method was applied to analyze SiC samples with two different particle sizes. The analysis showed good agreement with the results of inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. The reliability of the proposed method was confirmed by determining the contents of B, Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, and Cu in BAM-S003.     

Onboard calibration igneous targets for the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover and the Chemistry Camera laser induced breakdown spectroscopy instrument

Accurate characterization of the Chemistry Camera (ChemCam) laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) on-board composition targets is of prime importance for the ChemCam instrument. The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) science and operations teams expect ChemCam to provide the first compositional results at remote distances (1.5–7 m) during the in situ analyses of the Martian surface starting in 2012. Thus, establishing LIBS reference spectra from appropriate calibration standards must be undertaken diligently. Considering the global mineralogy of the Martian surface, and the possible landing sites, three specific compositions of igneous targets have been determined. Picritic, noritic, and shergottic glasses have been produced, along with a Macusanite natural glass. A sample of each target will fly on the MSL Curiosity rover deck, 1.56 m from the ChemCam instrument, and duplicates are available on the ground. Duplicates are considered to be identical, as the relative standard deviation (RSD) of the composition dispersion is around 8%. Electronic microprobe and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA ICP-MS) analyses give evidence that the chemical composition of the four silicate targets is very homogeneous at microscopic scales larger than the instrument spot size, with RSD < 5% for concentration variations > 0.1 wt.% using electronic microprobe, and < 10% for concentration variations > 0.01 wt.% using LA ICP-MS. The LIBS campaign on the igneous targets performed under flight-like Mars conditions establishes reference spectra for the entire mission. The LIBS spectra between 240 and 900 nm are extremely rich, hundreds of lines with high signal-to-noise, and a dynamical range sufficient to identify unambiguously major, minor and trace elements. For instance, a first LIBS calibration curve has been established for strontium from [Sr] = 284 ppm to [Sr] = 1480 ppm, showing the potential for the future calibrations for other major or minor elements.     

Evaluation of four sample treatments for determination of platinum in automotive catalytic converters by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

Conventional and microwave assisted digestion, both using aqua regia, alkaline fusion with lithium metaborate and aqueous slurries were evaluated as sample treatments for determination of Pt in automotive catalytic converters by Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (GF-AAS). Determination of platinum by GF-AAS in samples of the catalytic converter's substrates, prepared by the four methods described, indicates that the highest platinum concentration i.e. maximum Pt extraction in the range of 748 ± 15–998 ± 10 μg mL^− 1, is obtained for samples dissolved by alkaline fusion, closely followed by analysis of aqueous plus Triton X-100 slurries 708 ± 14–958 ± 10 μg mL^− 1, while neither one of the acid digestion procedures achieved total dissolution of the samples. Slurry analysis is thus shown to be a viable alternative and is recommended, based on its speed and ease of implementation. Aqueous standards calibration curves and the standard addition methods were also compared. The results showed that no appreciable matrix effects are present, regardless of the sample preparation procedure used. Precision of the measurements, expressed as percentage relative standard deviation, ranged between 2.5 to 4.9%. Accuracy of the results was assessed by recovery tests which rendered values between 98.9 and 100.9%.     

Release and enrichment of 44 elements during coal pyrolysis of Yima coal,China

The coal samples were collected from Yima coal district, China. The pyrolysis experiments were carried out in a simulated bed quartz reactor with a heating rate of 20 °C/min. The 44 elements in raw coal and chars were determined by inductively coupled-plasma mass spectrometry instrument (ICP-MS). The release and enrichment behavior of 44 trace elements during coal pyrolysis of Yima coal was studied.According to the transformation behaviors, chemical features and thermal features under different pyrolysis temperatures, the 44 elements can be categorized to 4 groups: light elements (Li and Be), nonmetal elements (Se, As, B, etc.), heavy metal elements (including 24 elements, Cu, V, Co, etc.) and rear earth elements (REE) (14 elements). The results showed that (1) the higher pyrolysis temperatures, the higher release ratio and release ratio of REE are very low; (2) the enrichment ratios of the elements in chars increase by the sequence of nonmetal elements < light elements < heavy metal elements < REE. The nonmetal elements, light elements and a few heavy metal elements will be emitted out from coal during coal pyrolysis and they will pollute environment.     

The determination of trace lead in drinking water by flow injection spectrophotometry

Lead is the non-essential trace element in the human body, and it has been confirmed that drinking water is one of the sources of lead in human body. In the research, based on the sensitive colour reaction of lead with I^?–EV⁺–PVA, a simple, sensitive, accurate and portable method for the determination of trace lead in drinking waters was proposed. Chemicals and physicals had been optimized in detail. The apparent molar absorption coefficient was up to 7.4 × 10⁵ mol L^?1 cm^?1. The developed method provided a linearity range over 5–80 μg L^?1. The regression deviation was between 0.71% and 2.33%. The 3σ detection limit was 0.9 μg L^?1. Close to the quantitation limit for the analyte the relative standard deviation was 1.10% (n = 10) at 40 μg L^?1. The method developed here for analysis of lead yielded results that were comparable with those of the GFAAS.     

Synthesis and characterization of CaBi4Ti4O15 thin films annealed by microwave and conventional furnaces

CaBi₄Ti₄O₁₅ thin films were deposited by the polymeric precursor method and crystallized in a domestic microwave oven and conventional furnace. The films obtained for microwave energy are well-adhered, homogeneous and with good specularity when treated at 700 ^°C for 10 min. The microstructure and the structure of the films can be tuned by adjusting the crystallization conditions. When microwave oven is employed, the films presented bigger grains with mean grain size around 80 nm. For comparison, films were also prepared by the conventional furnace at 700 °C for 2 h.     

Microwave-radiated synthesis of gold nanoparticles/carbon nanotubes composites and its application to voltammetric detection of trace mercury(II)

Gold nanoparticles/carbon nanotubes (Au-NPs/CNTs) composites were rapidly synthesized by microwave radiation, and firstly applied for the determination of trace mercury(II) by anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV). The structure and composition of the synthesized Au-NPs/CNTs nanocomposites were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), UV–vis absorption spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. Au-NPs/CNTs nanocomposites modified glassy carbon electrode (Au-NPs/CNTs/GCE) exhibited excellent performance for Hg(II) analysis. A wide linear range (5 × 10⁻¹⁰–1.25 × 10⁻⁶ mol/L) and good repeatability (relative standard deviation of 1.84%) were obtained for Hg(II) detection. The limit of detection was found to be 3 × 10⁻¹⁰ mol/L (0.06 μg/L) at 2 min accumulation, while the World Health Organization’s guideline value of mercury for drinking water is 1 μg/L, suggesting the proposed method may have practical utility.     

The volatilization of trace elements during oxidative pyrolysis of a coal from an endemic arsenosis area in southwest Guizhou,China

Household coal combustion has caused endemic poisoning in southwest Guizhou Province of China. The mineralogy, geochemistry and mode of occurrence of trace elements (TEs) of coal from this area were examined, and oxidative pyrolysis experiments of the coal were conducted in a box resistance reactor at 300–1200 °C to evaluate the volatilization of trace elements. In coal, As, Sb, Pb, Zn, W, Mo, and Cr are highly enriched when compared to both the world coal and Chinese coal. Cadmium, Sr, and Ba are all slightly higher than the average value for Chinese coal. The volatility of trace elements exhibits a close correlation with the mode of element occurrence. The considerable volatilization of As, Sb, Pb, Zn, Cd and Cr below 450 °C is thought to be related to the organic form of these elements. In the temperature range of 450–1200 °C, the volatility of all trace elements except As increases slowly with temperature because these elements are highly associated with silicates. Among the hazardous trace elements, As is the most volatile, and Sb, Pb, Zn, Cd and Cr are moderately volatile. Arsenic exhibits a uniquely high release at 900–1000 °C, which could be attributed to the high proportion of As association with sulfide. Because TEs are primarily inorganically-associated, the volatilization of TEs is not comparable to the loss of coal weight during pyrolysis. At high temperatures, a significantly low coal weight loss can result in a significant volatility of TEs.     

Investigation of the efficiency of the sample pretreatment stage for the determination of the Rare Earth Elements in rock samples by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry technique

Different methods of rock sample digestion for final analysis by ICP-MS technique are investigated. It is shown that only basic rocks can be quantitatively digested in a microwave (MW) field with the mixture of HF and HNO₃ acids at 210 °C for 60 min. The addition of HCl and H₃BO₃ provides complete digestion of andesites and some types of granites. Even at maximal temperature in the used MW oven of 210 °C syenites, granodiorites and albitized granites are not digested. These types of rocks are not digested in a closed Teflon autoclave for 16 h and can be digested only by fusion with lithium metaborate. The reason for such behavior is discussed. To avoid problems with the introduction of heavily acidic solutions after fusion in ICP the solutions were diluted. To compensate the loss of sensitivity due to the dilution step the REEs (Rare Earth Elements) pre-concentration using aminocarboxylic Pol-DETATA (diethyltriaminetetraacetate) sorbent was tested. The developed scheme is validated by the analysis of a wide range of reference rock materials.