Determination of boron in boron-alloyed steels by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry

An inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) procedure has been developed and examined for the determination of boron content (0.01 up to about 2% B) in boron-alloyed steels such as POLDI ATA BOR (65% Fe, 19%Cr, 12% Ni, 1.5% Mn, 1% B), POLDI ATA BOR EXTRA (62% Fe, 18% Cr, 13% Ni, 2.5% Mo, 1.5% Mn, 1% B) and POLDI ATA BOR-R (75% Fe, 18% Cr, 3.5% Ti, 1.8% B). The steel sample is dissolved with a mixture of hydrochloric, nitric, sulfuric and phosphoric acids in a quartz vessel. Borides of alloyed metals, especially of iron and chromium, are quantitatively decomposed. The presence of phosphoric acid in a sample solution reduces the volatility of boric acid with water vapour.Presented in part at the 1989 European Winter Conference on Plasma Spectrochemistry, Reutte, Austria     

Improving boron isotope ratio measurement precision with quadrupole inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry

A method was developed to improve the precision of inductively coupled plasma quadrupole mass spectrometry (ICP-QMS) for the determination of boron isotope ratios (¹¹B/¹⁰B) in various environmental materials including seawater. This approach is based on the common analyte internal standardization (CAIS) chemometric algorithm. The sample solution obtained after digestion is spiked with lithium, and both ⁷Li/⁶Li and ¹¹B/¹⁰B values are measured using long-counting periods (20 min). The CAIS algorithm corrects the measured ¹¹B/¹⁰B values for (a) statistical fluctuations resulting from short-term noise; (b) drift in ¹¹B-to-¹⁰B ratio as a result of long-term deviation in instrumental parameters likely to occur during long counting times; (c) change in ¹¹B-to-¹⁰B ratio caused by variation in matrix elements concentrations; and (d) drift in mass bias correction factor. Comparing boron isotopic ratios in seawater measured by conventional and the new isotope ratio methods validates the procedure. A synthetic isotopic mixture of boron SRM 951 and enriched ¹⁰B SRM 952 also was examined. The CAIS method provided a measured boron isotopic ratio precision of 0.05% R.S.D. while eliminating 5.1% matrix concentration error and 0.25% instrumental drift error.     

Determination of arsenic, lead, selenium and tin in sediments by slurry sampling electrothermal vaporization inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry using Ru as permanent modifier and NaCl as a carrier

A procedure for the determination of As, Pb, Se and Sn in sediment slurries by electrothermal vaporization inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry is proposed. The slurry, 1 mg ml⁻¹, is prepared by mixing the sample ground to a particle size 50 μm with 5% v/v nitric and 1% v/v hydrofluoric acids in an ultrasonic bath. The slurry was homogenized with a constant flow of argon in the autosampler cup, just before transferring an aliquot to the graphite furnace. The tube was treated with Ru as a permanent modifier, and an optimized mass of 1 μg of NaCl was added as a physical carrier. The pyrolysis temperature was optimized through pyrolysis curves, and a compromised temperature of 800 °C was used; the vaporization temperature was 2300 °C. The effect of different acid concentrations in the slurry on the analyte signal intensities was also evaluated. The accuracy of the method was assured by the analysis of certified reference sediments MESS-2, PACS-2 and HISS-1 from the National Research Council Canada, SRM 2704 and SRM 1646a from the National Institute of Standards and Technology and RS-4 from a round robin test, using external calibration with aqueous standards prepared in the same medium as the slurries. The obtained concentrations were in agreement with the certified values according to the Student's t-test for a confidence level of 95%. The detection limits in the samples were: 0.17 μg g⁻¹ for As; 0.3 μg g⁻¹ for Pb; 0.05 μg g⁻¹ for Se and 0.28 μg g⁻¹ for Sn. The precision found for the different sediment samples, expressed as R.S.D. was 1–8% for As, 2–9% for Pb, 6–12% for Se and 3–8% for Sn (n=5).     

Determination of trace impurities in boron nitride by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry and electrothermal vaporization inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry using solid sampling

Two digestion-free methods for trace analysis of boron nitride based on graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) and electrothermal vaporization inductively coupled plasma spectrometry optical emission (ETV-ICP-OES) using direct solid sampling have been developed and applied to the determination of Al, Ca, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Si, Ti and Zr in four boron nitride materials in concentration intervals of 1–23, 54–735, 0.05–21, 0.005–1.3, 1.6–112, 4.5–20, 0.03–1.8, 6–46, 38–170 and 0.4–2.3 μg g^− 1, respectively. At optimized experimental conditions, with both methods, effective in-situ analyte/matrix separation was achieved and calibration could be performed using calibration curves measured with aqueous standard solutions. In solid sampling GFAAS, before sampling, the platform was covered with graphite powder and, for determination of Si, also the Pd/Mg(NO₃)₂ modifier was used. In the determination of all analyte elements by solid sampling ETV-ICP-OES, Freon R12 was added to argon carrier gas. For solid sampling GFAAS and ETV-ICP-OES, the achievable limits of detection were within 5 (Cu)–130 (Si) ng g^− 1 and 8 (Cu)–200 (Si) ng g^− 1, respectively. The results obtained by these two methods for four boron nitride materials of different purity grades are compared each with the other and with those obtained in analysis of digests by ICP-OES. The performance of the two solid sampling methods is compared and discussed.     

Determination of Cu, Mn, Ni and Sn in gasoline by electrothermal vaporization inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, and emulsion sample introduction

Trace metals in fuels, except in the case of additives, are usually undesirable and normally they occur in very low concentrations in gasoline, requiring sensitive techniques for their determination. Coupling of electrothermal vaporization with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry minimizes the problems related to the introduction of organic solvents into the plasma. Furthermore, sample preparation as oil-in-water emulsions reduces problems related to gasoline analysis. In this work, a method for determination of Cu, Mn, Ni and Sn in gasoline is proposed. Samples were prepared by forming a 10-fold diluted emulsion with a surfactant (Triton X-100), after treatment with concentrated HNO₃. The sample emulsion was pre-concentrated in the graphite tube by repeated pipetting and drying. External calibration was used with aqueous standards in a purified gasoline emulsion. Six samples from different gas stations were analyzed, and the analyte concentrations were found to be in the μg l⁻¹ range or below. The limits of detection were 0.22, 0.02, 0.38 and 0.03 μg l⁻¹ for Cu, Mn, Ni and Sn, respectively. The accuracy of the method was estimated using a recovery test.     

电感耦合等离子体质谱法同时测定地质样品中镉、锗、钴

建立电感耦合等离子体质谱法同时测定地质样品中镉、锗、钴含量的分析方法。样品用氢氟酸-硝酸混合溶液加热溶解,然后加热浓缩驱酸,再用硝酸溶液(1+1)复溶提取,在选定的仪器工作条件下进行测定。镉、锗、钴的含量分别在0.00~0.10,0.00~5.00,0.00~50.00 μg/g范围内与质谱峰强度呈良好的线性关系,相关系数均大于0.999,方法检出限分别为0.01,0.02,0.02 μg/g。用该方法对国家一级标准物质进行测定,测定值的相对误差均小于10%,测定结果的相对标准偏差为0.79%~8.45%(n=12)。该方法样品处理过程简便,检测效率高,适用于批量地质样品中镉、锗、钴的测定。     

Spectral and non-spectral interferences in the determination of thallium in environmental materials using electrothermal atomization and vaporization techniques—a case study

The literature on the determination of Tl in environmental samples using electrothermal atomization (ETA) and vaporization (ETV) techniques has been reviewed with special attention devoted to potential interferences and their control. Chloride interference, which is due to the formation of the volatile monochloride in the condensed phase, is the most frequently observed problem. Due to its high dissociation energy (88 kcal/mol), TlCl is difficult to dissociate in the gas phase and is easily lost. The best means of controlling this interference in ETA is atomization under isothermal conditions according to the stabilized temperature platform furnace concept, and the use of reduced palladium as a modifier. An alternative approach appears to be the ‘fast furnace’ concept, wherein both the use of a modifier and the pyrolysis stage are omitted. This concept requires an efficient background correction system, and high-resolution continuum-source atomic absorption spectrometry (HR-CS AAS) appears to offer the best results. This chloride interference can also cause significant problems when ETV techniques are used. Among the spectral interferences found in the determination of thallium are those due to Pd, the most efficient modifier, and Fe, which is frequently found at high concentrations in environmental samples. Both interferences are due to nearby atomic lines, and are observed only when deuterium background correction and relatively high atomization temperatures are used. A more serious spectral interference is that due to the molecular absorption spectrum of SO₂, which has a maximum around the Tl line and exhibits a pronounced rotational fine structure. HR-CS AAS again showed the best performance in coping with this interference.     

Fast quantitative analysis of boric acid by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry coupled with a simple and selective derivatization reaction using triethanolamine

A fast, selective, and sensitive GC-MS method has been developed and validated for the determination of boric acid in the drinking water by derivatization with triethanolamine. This analytic strategy successfully converts the inorganic, nonvolatile boric acid B(OH)₃ present in the drinking water to a volatile triethanolamine borate B(OCH₂CH₂)₃N in a quantitive manner, which facilitates the GC measurement. The SIM mode was applied in the analysis and showed high accuracy, specificity, and reproducibility, as well as reducing the matrix effect effectively. The calibration curve was obtained from 0.01 μg/mL to 10.0 μg/mL with a satisfactory correlation coefficient of 0.9988. The limit of detection for boric acid was 0.04 μg/L. Then the method was applied for detection of the amount of boric acid in bottled drinking water and the results are in accordance with the reported concentration value of boric acid. This study offers a perspective into the utility of GC-MS as an alternate quantitative tool for detection of B(OH)₃, even for detection of boron in various other samples by digesting the boron compounds to boric acid.     

Silicon determination by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry after generation of volatile silicon tetrafluoride

A method for the determination of silicon by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) is described. The procedure is based on a discontinuous generation of volatile silicon tetrafluoride in concentrated sulphuric acid medium after injecting 125 μl of 0.1%, w/v sodium fluoride solution into 100 μl of the sample. The gaseous silicon tetrafluoride is fed directly into the ICP torch by a flow of 250 ml min⁻¹ Ar carrier gas. The calibration curve was linear up to at least 100 μg ml⁻¹ of Si(IV) and the absolute detection limit was 9.8 ng working with a solution volume of 100 μl. The relative standard deviation for six measurements of 10 μg ml⁻¹ of Si(IV) was 2.32%. The method was applied to the determination of silicon in water and iron ores.     

Matrix effects in the analysis of biological matrices by axial view inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry

We are reporting observations of positive and negative variations of emission line intensities during the determination of boron and titanium in biological matrices by axial view inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry with segmented charge-coupled device detection. The study included the testing of several elements (yttrium, palladium and platinum) and analytical wavelengths for internal standardization, aiming to compensate for variations in signal recovery due to matrix interferences. Human albumin was chosen as principal matrix component to assess the effect of variable chemical and instrumental operating conditions on boron response. A parametric study was performed by considering the application of two different nebulizer–aerosol chamber systems, the effect of plasma operating conditions on analyte and internal standard signals and the influence of common blood plasma electrolytes, added as salts of alkaline or alkaline earth elements. The pneumatic injection systems tested were a standard cross-flow nebulizer with a Scott type spray chamber and a concentric Meinhard type device coupled to a glass cyclonic spray chamber. The change from standard (i.e. medium RF power and relatively high aerosol carrier gas flow rate) to robust (i.e. higher RF power and lower carrier gas flow rate) conditions contributed to large, non-correlated variations in boron intensities and in some of the analyte/internal standard ratios. Significant memory effects were observed for injection of boron solutions prepared with boric acid and containing small amounts of acid, but those effects were negligible when the boron carrier compound was boronophenylalanyne. The injection of titanium solutions did not produce analyte carry-over effects. When internal standards were employed, a less effective signal compensation was consistently observed for boron at higher albumin concentrations when the difference in energies of the lines was between 4.5 and 6 eV. This effect was enhanced for some line pairs when robust conditions are employed. Differences in the response between nebulizers were minor, with a slight advantage in sensitivity for the cross-flow/Scott system. Yttrium was found to be useful for signal compensation in the determination of boron and titanium in blood and human plasma provided that the equivalent concentration of albumin in the nebulized sample dilutions was kept below 0.2% w/v. Simultaneous measurement of a reference strontium line was found to be useful as an additional verification of the response of yttrium as internal standard.     

电感耦合等离子体质谱法测定煤矸石中微量锗和镓

建立了测定煤矸石中微量锗和镓的电感耦合等离子体质谱法。煤矸石试样经高温灰化,用硝酸-氢氟酸-高氯酸-磷酸分解,以电感耦合等离子体质谱法测定其中的锗和镓。通过在线三通加入内标元素铑,消除非质谱干扰;通过选择干扰元素的异质同位素进行定量测定,采用数学公式在线校正,消除质谱干扰。与分光光度法进行比对,锗、镓测定结果的相对偏差为-0.63%~0.28%。克服了常规化学分析方法步骤繁琐、耗时长、工作量大的不足。该法测定结果的相对标准偏差小于3%(n=6),加标回收率为97.4%~102.5%。该方法具有检出限低、快速、简便、线性范围宽、多元素同时测定等优点,分析误差满足化学分析法的要求,可用于煤矸石中锗和镓的测定。     

Single-step microwave digestion with HNO(3) alone for determination of trace elements in coal by ICP spectrometry

A microwave digestion method with HNO₃ alone was conducted at a temperature as high as 250 °C for determination of 19 trace elements (Li, Be, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, As, Se, Rb, Sr, Cd, Cs, Ba, Hg, and Pb) in coal jointly by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), and flow injection ICP-MS (FI-ICP-MS). The validity of determination was assessed by using three standard coals, SRM 1632c, BCR 180, and SARM 19. It was found that the high-temperature digestion led to an extensive decomposition of the organic matrix and clay in coal, and no dissolved and solid carbon remained in the final solution after evaporation. Good recoveries were observed for all trace elements in three coals, with the exception of V, Rb, and Cs in high-ash SARM 19. Additionally, FI-ICP-MS combined with the present digestion without evaporation pretreatment was proved to be a rapid and efficient approach for determination of ultra-trace elements such as Se, Cd, and Hg in coal.     

电感耦合等离子体质谱(ICP-MS)法测定磷矿石中的8种痕量金属元素

建立了四酸(硝酸-氢氟酸-高氯酸-硫酸)敞口分解-电感耦合等离子质谱法同时测定磷矿样品中钨、钼、铊、镉、铋、铀、钍、铬等8种微量元素的方法,结果和经典碱熔法比对,准确度满意.经过对易挥发元素、难溶元素影响的研究,选取了合适的分析同位素及采用干扰校正方程以消除质谱干扰,利用103 Rh和186 Re为内标元素,有效校正了...     

Simple and sensitive determination of arsenic by volatile arsenic trichloride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry

A simple, sensitive and interference-free method was proposed for the determination of arsenic, based on the generation of volatile arsenic trichloride coupled with atomic fluorescence spectrometry. Thiourea, together with l-ascorbic acid, was used to reduce As(V) to As(III), and the chloride generation was based on the reaction between As(III) and hydrochloric acid. Under the optimized experimental conditions, the present procedure allows for the quantification of arsenic in the concentration range of 0.01–4.0 mg L⁻¹, with a limit of detection (3σ) of 6.0 μg L⁻¹. The relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) is 4.0% for 0.1 mg L⁻¹ arsenic (n = 7). Finally, the proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of arsenic in several certified reference samples (stainless steel, alloy steel, copper alloy and water sample) and real samples (brass material and spiked cobalt material), with analytical results well-agreed with those by ICP-MS.     

电感耦合等离子体原子发射光谱法测定高温合金中低含量钇

建立电感耦合等离子体原子发射光谱法测定高温合金中低含量钇的方法。采用盐酸、硝酸、氢氟酸溶解样品,在优化的仪器条件下,采用基体匹配法配制系列标准工作溶液,选择分析线为360.073 nm。钇的含量在0.0005%~0.050%范围内与光谱强度具有良好的线性关系,相关系数为0.99999,检出限为0.000003%。该方法测定结果的相对标准偏差不大于6.0%(n=8),加标回收率为90.0%~104.0%。该方法简便、快速、准确,可用于高温合金中低含量钇的测定。     

Method development for the determination of manganese, cobalt and copper in green coffee comparing direct solid sampling electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry

A method has been developed for the determination of cobalt, copper and manganese in green coffee using direct solid sampling electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (SS-ET AAS). The motivation for the study was that only a few elements might be suitable to determine the origin of green coffee so that the multi-element techniques usually applied for this purpose might not be necessary. The three elements have been chosen as test elements as they were found to be significant in previous investigations. A number of botanical certified reference materials (CRM) and pre-analyzed samples of green coffee have been used for method validation, and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES) after microwave-assisted acid digestion of the samples as reference method. Calibration against aqueous standards could be used for the determination of Mn and Co by SS-ET AAS, but calibration against solid CRM was necessary for the determination of Cu. No significant difference was found between the results obtained with the proposed method and certified or independently determined values. The limits of detection for Mn, Cu and Co were 0.012, 0.006 and 0.004 μg g⁻¹ using SS-ET AAS and 0.015, 0.13 and 0.10 μg g⁻¹ using ICP OES. Seven samples of Brazilian green coffee have been analyzed, and there was no significant difference between the values obtained with SS-ET AAS and ICP OES for Mn and Cu. ICP OES could not be used as a reference method for Co, as essentially all values were below the limit of quantification of this technique.     

石墨炉原子吸收光谱法测定压水反应堆硼酸介质中钙

以甘露醇为基体改进剂,建立石墨炉原子吸收光谱法测定压水反应堆硼酸介质中钙含量的方法。考察基体改进剂用量、灰化温度、原子化温度、基体干扰以及共存离子干扰对测定结果的影响,确定最佳测定条件:以硼含量为1000 mg/kg的硼酸为背景基体,加入适量甘露醇,样品作酸化处理,灰化温度为1700℃,原子化温度为2450℃。钙含量在8~32 μg/kg范围内与光谱强度成良好的线性关系,相关系数为0.9996,方法检出限为1.79 μg/kg。对于硼基体含量为0~2500 mg/kg的样品,测定结果的相对标准偏差为0.5%~7.5%(n=6),相对误差不大于13.2%,加标回收率为93.9%~113.3%。该方法检测速度快,结果准确,能满足实际生产要求。     

乙醇增敏－电感耦合等离子体原子发射光谱(ICP-AES)法测定土壤中的全硼

采用电感耦合等离子体原子发射光谱法（ICP-AES)测定土壤中的全硼,具有测定范围宽,精密度高,测定速度快等优点,但其检出限较高,文章选择乙醇作增敏剂,降低仪器检出限,实现高中低含量样品的同时分析测定。实验发现当乙醇含量为5%时,雾化效率最佳,原子线B208.893 nm,B208.959 nm的灵敏度分别增强了21.2% 和18.7% ;采用HF-HCl-HNO3消解样品,甘露醇作保护剂,甘露醇的加入可有效解决样品消解过程中硼挥发所导致的测定结果偏低,精密度差等问题。按照本实验方法对国家标准物质及实际土壤样品进行全硼的分析测定,测定结果相对标准偏差（RSD,n=11）为0.56%～2.14%,相对误差为-2.8%～1.6%。加标回收率在 96.8%~104.6% 之间 ,可满足日常分析要求。     

Evaluation of ammonium fluoride for quantitative microwave-assisted extraction of silicon and boron from different solid samples

A novel, simple, efficient and environmentally friendly closed-microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) method of silicon and boron from a variety of industrial and environmental samples using ammonium fluoride as an extractant was developed. This method avoids handling the corrosive and toxic HF and prevents the potential risk of analyte loss due to the creation of volatile SiF₄ and BF₃ in the presence of HF. Atomic absorption spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry were employed for the subsequent analysis of the resulting supernatant for determination of Si and B, respectively. Certified reference material BCR^®-032 Natural Moroccan Phosphate Rock (phosphate fertiliser) was taken to optimise the extraction parameters such as the sample amount, extraction temperature and time and the volume of the extractant. The optimum extraction parameters evaluated using a fractional factorial design were as follows: 50 mg of the sample extracted with 5 mL of 100 g L^?1 NH₄ F for 15 min at 180°C. The optimised MAE procedure was successfully applied to nine different matrix reference materials intended primarily for validation of methods for determination of components in fertilisers, sludge, plants and fly ash. The obtained results were in a good agreement with the certified or comparative values with an overall precision better than 10% in all cases. The proposed method is recommended for fast and reliable preparation of samples with silicon content <8.2% (w/w). However, further decreasing the sample mass to 10 mg enabled the quantitative extraction of silicon from fly ashes at levels of 23% (w/w).     

Precise determination of boron by titration with a multiparametric curve-fitting procedure for data evaluation

A precise method is described for the determination of boric acid and boron in metal borides by potentiometric titration of the mannitol/boric acid complex with a strong alkali. Titration data are evaluated by a multiparametric curve-fitting procedure on the basis of model functions for this type of titration. The initial boric acid concentration, or parameters like the conditional acidity constant and the association number of the mannitol/boric acid complex can be determined. For a sample of titanium boride, the standard deviation was 0.15% on a boron content of 29.18%.