Radiochemical neutron activation analysis of individual rare earth elements in monazites from different geological environments

Radiochemical neutron activation analysis /RNAA/ has been applied for the determination of individual rare earth elements /REE/, except Tm, in 8 Indian monazites and one each from Malaysia and Thailand. Because of the very low amounts of heavy rare earths /HREE/ compared to light rare earths /LREE/ in monazite, HREE from Ho onwards have been determined only after the separation of the heavy and light rare earth fractions in the irradiated monazite samples. The results indicate significant variations in REE contents from Eu to Lu among different monazite samples. The chondritic normalized REE patterns of all the samples show a prominent negative Eu anomaly with different slopes at the heavy rare earth end. All the individual REE, except Tm, have been reported for the first time in various Indian monazites.     

桦甸油页岩中稀土元素赋存状态研究

以吉林省桦甸油页岩为研究对象,采用电感耦合等离子质谱( ICP-MS)和化学逐级提取方法相结合,对油页岩中稀土元素的分布特征以及油页岩中稀土元素的赋存状态进行研究.结果表明,相对于中国煤,桦甸油页岩表现为轻稀土元素富集程度高于重稀土元素.油页岩中稀土元素与陆源碎屑岩关系密切,且陆源物质的供应相对比较稳定.轻重稀土间分馏...     

Measurement of rare earths elements in Kakul phosphorite deposits of Pakistan using instrumental neutron activation analysis

The rare earth elements (REEs) content of Kakul phosphate rock (PR) from different localities of the main Hazara deposits of Pakistan were determined using instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA). 25 phosphorite samples were collected from different phosphorite sites and 6 samples representing different batches from the crushing plant near Kakul Mine. Concentrations of seven REEs (Ce, Eu, La, Lu, Sm, Tb and Yb) were determined in the PR samples. The highest amounts of Heavy and light rare earth elements (HREE and LREE) were quantified in the PR samples collected at the Phosphate Rock Crushing Plant while the lowest amounts of these REEs were measured in the Lambidogi Phosphorite deposit samples. Comparison with global data showed the REEs content of the studied PRs show lower range for all REEs and mostly comparable to the data reported by Israel and Syria. Calculated chondrite ratio for these elements depicts enrichment of LREEs in all phosphorite deposits.     

Distribution of rare earth elements in the estuarine and coastal sediments of the Daliao River System, China

The Daliao River System (DRS) estuary in Liaodong Bay features a highly industrial, urbanized, and agricultural catchment. The objective of this study was to determine the content, behavior, and distribution of the rare earth elements (REEs) in the estuarine and coastal sediments. To this end, 35 sediment samples were collected from the estuarine and coastal area and analyzed for REEs, Fe, Al, and Mn. The mean concentrations in mg kg^?1 of the sediments were 33.4 (La), 64.1 (Ce), 7.9 (Pr), 29.0 (Nd), 5.4 (Sm), 1.2 (Eu), 4.2 (Gd), 0.78 (Tb), 4.0 (Dy), 0.84 (Ho), 2.3 (Er), 0.40 (Tm), 2.3 (Yb), and 0.37 (Lu). The REE concentrations in the sediments were significantly correlated with one another (r ²  = 0.959–0.988) and the concentrations of Fe, Al, and Mn (r ²  = 0.768–0.870). The total concentration ∑REE ranged from 73.5 to 203.5 mg kg^?1, with an average of 156.0 mg kg^?1 being observed, and generally higher in the estuarine sediments than in the coastal sediments, most likely due to the salt-induced coagulation of river colloids and subsequently their accumulation at the estuarine bottom. The ratio of light REEs (∑LREE) to heavy REEs (∑HREE) was 9.4. Chondrite-normalized REE distributions were observed to be similar for the estuarine and coastal sediments, riverine suspended particles, and watershed soils of the DRS with higher LRRE enrichment than HREE and greater Eu depletion than Ce depletion. These results demonstrate that neither geochemical processes that carry soils to estuarine sediments nor long-term industrial and agricultural activities alter the distribution or fractionation of the REEs in the study area.     

黔西南卡林型金矿床稀土元素地球化学特征

分析了黔西南地区板其、、丫他及戈塘等卡林型金矿床的(La/Yb)N、(La/Sm)N、∑REE及LREE/HREE等稀土元素的含量及参数特征.结果表明,该区金矿床相对富集LREE;该区戈塘金矿具有明显的MREE富集及正Eu异常的特点,表明成矿热液应该是一种还原性流体,来源于深部或至少经历过对富含斜长石源区的水-岩反应矿...     

Determination of individual rare earth elements in Vietnamese monazite by radiochemical neutron activation analysis

Radiochemical neutron activation analysis (RNAA) has been applied for determination of rare earth elements (REE) in Vietnamese monazite. The chemical separation procedure used is based on the chromatographic elution of rare earth groups, after the separation of²³³Pa(Th) in irradiated monazite samples by coprecipitation with MnO₂, the rare earth elements were retained by Biorad AG1×8 resin column in 10% 15.4M HNO₃-90% methanol solution. The elution of heavy rare earth (HREE) and middle rare earth (MREE) groups was carried out with 10% 1M HNO₃-90% methanol and 10% 0.05M HNO₃-90% methanol solution, respectively; while the light rare earths (LREE) were eluted from the column by 0.1M HNO₃ solution. The accuracy of the method was checked by the analysis of granodiorite GSP-I and the rare earth values were in good agreement.     

镧系收缩效应对稀土-煤相互作用的影响及煤中有机态稀土的赋存形式研究

通过酸洗脱灰及腐殖酸提取等方法对伊敏褐煤进行处理,并应用ICP-MS对处理前后的样品进行了稀土元素测定。在对脱灰前后稀土元素与灰分和C、H、O等有机组成元素的相关性以及稀土元素在腐殖酸中的赋存特征分析的基础上,认为煤中稀土元素-有机质相互作用受煤化作用过程中的脱氧、脱氢和增碳作用控制。稀土与煤中各类官能团相互作用形成四类有机态稀土元素复合物,第一类是与被烷基侧链高度取代的芳香结构单元形成的复合物;第二类是与氢化芳香结构单元形成的复合物;第三类是与低取代度的芳香结构单元形成的复合物;第四类是与含氧官能团作用形成的复合物,后两类的稳定性差。这些有机态稀土元素复合物的稳定性在总体受镧系收缩效应控制的基础上,还受稀土元素化学价态的影响;重稀土与有机质形成的有机态稀土元素复合物的稳定性大于轻稀土。轻稀土在原煤中和腐殖酸的结合不稳定,且具有与镧系收缩相反的效应;轻稀土在脱灰煤中和腐殖酸的结合,与中稀土、重稀土在原煤和脱灰煤中腐殖酸结合规律相同,都体现了良好的镧系收缩效应。     

Rare earth element (REE) in surface mangrove sediment by instrumental neutron activation analysis

A study is carried out on the concentrations of rare earth element (REE) elements present in surface mangrove sediments from 10 locations throughout west coast Malaysia. In carrying out the analysis, the best and most convenient method being the instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA). Samples were obtained, dried, crushed to powdery form and samples prepared for INAA. All the samples for analysis were weighted approximately 150 mg for short irradiation and 200 mg for long irradiation time. As calibration and quality control procedures, blank samples, standard reference material SL-1 were then irradiated with thermal neutron flux of 4 × 10¹² cm^?2 s^?1 at the MINT TRIGA Mark II research reactor which operated at 750 kW by using a pneumatic transport facility. The REE elements of surface sediment samples in this study are Dy, Sm, Eu,Yb, Lu, Tb, La and Ce. It was found that the level of concentrations of all the REE elements varies in the range (0.35–117.4 mg/kg). The geochemical behavior of REEs in surface sediments and normalized pattern (chondrite and shale) has been studied. The degree of sediments contaminations were computed using an enrichment factor. The results showed that the enrichment factor varied in the range (0.75–6.75).     

稀土元素在植物中的分异机制 (I) 小麦不同器官中的稀土元素分异模式及形成机制

以小麦为植物材料，利用外源稀土添加、营养液培养等人工控制手段，研究了稀土元素在植物体内的分异效应，并探讨了分异效应产生的机制。结果表明，稀土元素在小麦不同器官中出现显著分异。根系出现中稀土(MREE)富集特征和“M”型四重效应，分析是由稀土元素与PO4^3-的选择性沉淀造成。小麦地上部分稀土元素分布出现“W”型四重效应，分析也是由根部磷沉淀造成。与此同时，小麦茎部相对富集轻稀土(LREE)，叶中相对富集重稀土(HREE)。运用VMINTEQ程序计算了木质部溶液中稀土元素的结合形态主要有LnEDTA^-和Ln^3 (Ln指稀土元素)，但仅有LnEDTA^-表现出HREE相对富集特征，其他形态则表现出LREE相对富集特征。分析叶部LREE／HREE分异是吸收LnEDTA^-造成，而茎部LREE／HREE分异则是吸收Ln^3 和其他形态稀土的结果。细胞壁对Ln^3 的吸附也是导致以上分异特征的重要因素。     

Determination of rare earth elements in tomato plants by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry techniques

In recent years identification of the geographical origin of food has grown more important as consumers have become interested in knowing the provenance of the food that they purchase and eat. Certification schemes and labels have thus been developed to protect consumers and genuine producers from the improper use of popular brand names or renowned geographical origins. As the tomato is one of the major components of what is considered to be the healthy Mediterranean diet, it is important to be able to determine the geographical origin of tomatoes and tomato‐based products such as tomato sauce. The aim of this work is to develop an analytical method to determine rare earth elements (RRE) for the control of the geographic origin of tomatoes. The content of REE in tomato plant samples collected from an agricultural area in Piacenza, Italy, was determined, using four different digestion procedures with and without HF. Microwave dissolution with HNO₃ + H₂O₂ proved to be the most suitable digestion procedure. Inductively coupled plasma quadrupole mass spectrometry (ICPQMS) and inductively coupled plasma sector field plasma mass spectrometry (ICPSFMS) instruments, both coupled with a desolvation system, were used to determine the REE in tomato plants in two different laboratories. A matched calibration curve method was used for the quantification of the analytes. The detection limits (MDLs) of the method ranged from 0.03 ng g^?1 for Ho, Tm, and Lu to 2 ng g^?1 for La and Ce. The precision, in terms of relative standard deviation on six replicates, was good, with values ranging, on average, from 6.0% for LREE (light rare earth elements) to 16.5% for HREE (heavy rare earth elements). These detection limits allowed the determination of the very low concentrations of REE present in tomato berries. For the concentrations of REE in tomato plants, the following trend was observed: roots > leaves > stems > berries. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Extraction of rare earth elements with phosphoryl-containing lariat crown ether in the presence of ionic liquids

Interfacial distribution of rare earth elements (REE) La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, and Y between aqueous solutions of their nitrates and solutions of the lariat crown ether 1,4,10,13-tetraoxa-7,16-diaza(diphenylphosphinylmethyl)cyclooctadecane in dichloroethane was studied in the presence of the ionic liquids 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis[(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]imide. The stoichiometry of extracted complexes was determined; the effect of HNO₃ concentration in the aqueous phase and the nature of extractant and ionic liquid on the extraction efficiency of REE(III) was considered.     

Determination of rare earth elements in seawater by on-line column preconcentration inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

A home made column of commercially available iminodiacetate resin, Muromac A-1 (50–100 mesh) was used to concentrate rare earth elements (REEs) (15 elements: Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, and Lu) in seawater. An automated low pressure flow analysis method with on-line column preconcentration/inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is described for the determination of REEs in seawater. Sample solutions (adjusted to pH of 3.0) passed through the column. After washing the column with water, the adsorbed elements were subsequently eluted into the plasma with 0.7 M nitric acid. Calibration curves were accomplished by means of purified artificial seawater with a sample loading time of 120 s. Detection limits (DLs) of the on-line column preconcentration/ICP-MS by eight replicate operations were between 0.040 and 0.251 pg ml⁻¹ for REEs in the artificial seawater. The precision was less than 8.9% for REEs and one sample can be processed in 7 min using a 7 ml of sample. The proposed method was applied to determine REEs in coastal seawater of Hiroshima Bay, Japan.     

Distribution characteristics of rare earth elements in plants from a rare earth ore area

The contents of eight rare earth elements (La, Ce, Nd, Sm, Eu, Tb, Yb and Lu) in various plant species taken from a rare earth ore area were determined by instrumental neutron activation analysis. For a given plant, the REE patterns in root, leaf and host soil are different from each other. The REE distribution characteristics in roots of various species are very similar and resemble those in the surface water. The results of this study suggest that there is no significant fractionation between the REEs during their uptake by the plant roots from soil solution. However, the variation of the relative abundance of individual REE occurs in the process of transportation and deposition of REEs in plants.     

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).     

Assessment of bioaccumulation of REEs by plant species in a mining area by INAA

Native plant species, lichens and tailings, sampled from a copper?Csulphide mining area located in southern?Ceastern Portugal, were analysed by neutron activation analysis (INAA) for determination of rare earth elements (REEs). Values of ??REEs and individual REEs concentration of tailing samples are higher than those of natural background concentrations. The higher values of REEs are found in modern slags and the mixture of oxidized gossan and sulphide disseminated country rocks when compared with the alluvial sediments contaminated by mine tailings. The total concentrations of light REEs are higher than those of heavy REEs in all tailing samples. Distribution patterns of PAAS-normalized REEs in mine tailings show slightly LREE enriched and flat HREE pattern with negative Eu anomaly. Lichens accumulated higher concentration of lanthanides than vascular plants. The elevated levels of REEs in lichen, native plant species and tailing samples reflect the contamination of REEs in S?o Domingos mining area. The Carlina corymbosa, Erica australis and Lavandula luisierra accumulated the higher amounts of La, Ce and other REEs than the other plant species grown in this mining area.     

Rare earth element patterns in ultramafic rocks of the Schist Belt of Southwestern Nigeria by instrumental neutron activation analysis

24 Ultramafic rock samples from 3 different areas of the Schist Belt of Southwestern Nigeria were analyzed for 11 rare earth elements (REE) by instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA). REE patterns of the ultramafic rocks are similar for the 3 different areas, and the REE abundances are smaller than for other types of rocks from the same areas. However, the moderate fractionation between LREE and HREE observed for these samples is unusual for ultramafic rocks. Some geochemical implications of the results are discussed.     

交流电弧中共存稀土元素对光谱线强度影响的研究

本工作较系统地研究了在交流电弧中不同量的共存稀土元素镝、钬，饵，铥和镱对某些被测稀土元素光谱线强度的影响。用交流电弧激发溶液干渣样品，其样品是在固定量的被测元素溶液中各自分别加入不同量的共存元素镝、钬、铒、铥和镱，摄谱后测量各被测元素的光谱线强度对共存元素在溶液中各个不同浓度作关系曲线。     

川西凹陷雷口坡组稀土元素特征及其意义

对川西凹陷丰卤1井雷口坡组岩屑样品进行了稀土元素(REE)的分析.结果表明,通过REE参数∑REE、LREE、HREE、w(LREE)/w(HREE)、w(LaN)/w(YbN)、δ Ce和δ Eu的比较,雷口坡组∑REE与LREE和HREE的变化呈正相关,LREE占∑REE的74%,对∑REE的变化起主要影响作用;R...     

High-resolution spectra of selected rare earth elements and spectral interferences studied by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES)

The rare earth elements (REEs) play very important roles in industrial manufacturing, technology development and biological processes. Due to their complex emission spectra, trace levels of REEs are difficult to analyze by conventional ICP-AES techniques. The present study investigates possible spectral interferences of matrices (rare earth oxides of Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm and Dy) on the analytical lines (± 0.1 nm) of a target REE. Detailed and well-resolved spectra for selected REEs are presented, and procedures used to rectify the problem of spectral interferences caused by REE matrices are discussed. A computer-assisted system (CAS) for spectral recognition has been developed and used to assist in the study of matrix interference. To determine directly trace rare earth elements in REE matrices without sample pre-separation, the application potential is demonstrated with a one meter sequential instrument retrofitted with a 3600 grooves/mm grating.     

Concentrations of rare earth elements in sediments,mussels and fish from a Danish marine environment,Lillebaelt

Results for the content of the rare earth elements (REE), La, Ce, Nd, Sm, Eu, Tb, Yb and Lu in sediments, mussels and fish are presented for an area polluted by REE. The REE are emitted with the process waste water stream from a fertilizer production plant. The method of analysis has been INAA. An attempt to combine the INAA with a simple destruction/preconcentration method is described.