An off-line automated preconcentration system with ethylenediaminetriacetate chelating resin for the determination of trace metals in seawater by high-resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

A novel automated off-line preconcentration system for trace metals (Al, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb) in seawater was developed by improving a commercially available solid-phase extraction system SPE-100 (Hiranuma Sangyo). The utilized chelating resin was NOBIAS Chelate-PA1 (Hitachi High-Technologies) with ethylenediaminetriacetic acid and iminodiacetic acid functional groups. Parts of the 8-way valve made of alumina and zirconia in the original SPE-100 system were replaced with parts made of polychlorotrifluoroethylene in order to reduce contamination of trace metals. The eluent pass was altered for the back flush elution of trace metals. We optimized the cleaning procedures for the chelating resin column and flow lines of the preconcentration system, and developed a preconcentration procedure, which required less labor and led to a superior performance compared to manual preconcentration (Sohrin et al. [5]). The nine trace metals were simultaneously and quantitatively preconcentrated from ∼120 g of seawater, eluted with ∼15 g of 1 M HNO₃, and determined by HR-ICP-MS using the calibration curve method. The single-step preconcentration removed more than 99.998% of Na, K, Mg, Ca, and Sr from seawater. The procedural blanks and detection limits were lower than the lowest concentrations in seawater for Mn, Ni, Cu, and Pb, while they were as low as the lowest concentrations in seawater for Al, Fe, Co, Zn, and Cd. The accuracy and precision of this method were confirmed by the analysis of reference seawater samples (CASS-5, NASS-5, GEOTRACES GS, and GD) and seawater samples for vertical distribution in the western North Pacific Ocean.     

Determination of isotopic composition of dissolved copper in seawater by multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry after pre-concentration using an ethylenediaminetriacetic acid chelating resin

Copper is an essential trace metal that shows a vertical recycled-scavenged profile in the ocean. To help elucidate the biogeochemical cycling of Cu in the present and past oceans, it is important to determine the distribution of Cu isotopes in seawater. However, precise isotopic analysis of Cu has been impaired by the low concentrations of Cu as well as co-existing elements that interfere with measurements by multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS). The objective of this study is to develop a simple Cu pre-concentration method using Nobias-chelate PA1 resin (Hitachi High Technologies). This extraction followed by anion exchange, allows precise analysis of the Cu isotopic composition in seawater. Using this method, Cu was quantitatively concentrated from seawater and >99.9999% of the alkali and alkaline earth metals were removed. The technique has a low procedural blank of 0.70 ng for Cu for a 2 L sample and the precision of the Cu isotopic analysis was ±0.07‰ (±2SD, n = 6). We applied this method to seawater reference materials (i.e., CASS-5 and NASS-6) and seawater samples obtained from the northwestern Pacific Ocean. The range of dissolved δ⁶⁵Cu was 0.40–0.68‰.     

Determination of picomolar beryllium levels in seawater with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry following silica-gel preconcentration

A robust and rapid method for the determination of natural levels of beryllium (Be) in seawater was developed to facilitate mapping Be concentrations in the ocean. A solid-phase extraction method using a silica gel column was applied for preconcentration and purification of Be in seawater prior to determination of Be concentrations with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Be was quantitatively adsorbed onto silica gel from solutions with pH values ranging from 6.3 to 9, including natural seawater. The chelating agent ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid was used to remove other ions in the seawater matrix (Na, Mg, and Ca) that interfere with the ICP-MS analysis. The reproducibility of the method was 3% based on triplicate analyses of natural seawater samples, and the detection limit was 0.4 pmol kg⁻¹ for 250 mL of seawater, which is sufficient for the analysis of seawater in the open ocean. The method was then used to determine the vertical profile of Be in the eastern North Pacific Ocean, which was found to be a recycled-type profile in which the Be concentration increased with depth from the surface (7.2 pmol kg⁻¹ at <200 m) to deep water (29.2 pmol kg⁻¹ from 3500 m to the bottom).     

On-line preconcentration with a novel alkyl phosphinic acid extraction resin coupled with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry for determination of trace rare earth elements in seawater

A newly synthesized alkyl phosphinic acid resin (APAR) was used for on-line preconcentration of trace rare earth elements (REES, lanthanides including yttrium) and then determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. REEs in seawater could be on-line concentrated on the APAR packed column (4.6 mm i.d. × 50 mm in length), and eluted from the column with 0.5 mL 0.1 mol L⁻¹ nitric acid within 30 s. An enrichment factor of nearly 400 was achieved for all REEs when the seawater sample volume was 200 mL, while the matrix and coexisting spectrally interfering ions such as barium, tin and antimony could be simultaneously separated. The detection limits of this proposed method for REEs were in the range from 1.43 pg L⁻¹ of holmium to 12.7 pg L⁻¹ of lanthanum. The recoveries of REEs were higher than 97.9%, and the precision of the relative standard deviation (R.S.D., n = 6) was less than 5%. The method has been applied to the determination of soluble REEs in seawater.     

Capillary electrophoresis inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Chemical speciation (extraction of elemental information and identification of molecular environment for an analyte in a complex sample) has been a long sought after goal for analytical chemists. Recently, because of successful developments in more sensitive element-specific detectors and gentle separation schemes, which preserve the true chemical information in a real sample, routine speciation experiments are becoming a common occurrence in the scientific literature. For many reasons, the combination of capillary electrophoresis (for separation of different chemical species) with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (for element and isotope specific detection) has emerged as the method of choice for these analyses. In this article the basic principles of capillary electrophoresis inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry are discussed. Design consideration for instrument interface, anticipated difficulties with speciation experiments and applications for specific matrices and analytes are also presented in this article.     

Determination of trace elements in natural waters by inductively coupled plasma time of flight mass spectrometry after flow injection preconcentration in a knotted reactor

A flow injection on-line sorption system was developed for the separation and preconcentration of traces of Ag, Cd, Co, Ni, Pb, U and Y from natural water samples with subsequent detection by ICP TOF MS. Simultaneous preconcentration of the analytes was achieved by complexation with the chelating reagent 1-phenyl-3-methyl-4-benzoylpyrazol-5-one immobilized on the inner walls of a (200 cm × 0.5 mm) PTFE knotted reactor. The analytes were eluted and transported to an axial ICP TOF MS system with 1% (v/v) HNO₃ containing 0.3 μg l⁻¹ of Rh as an internal standard using ultrasonic nebulization. The detection limits (3σ) varied from 0.3 ng l⁻¹ for Y to 15.2 ng l⁻¹ for Ni and the precision (R.S.D.) was better than 4%. Using a loading time of 90 s and a sample flow rate of 4.5 ml min⁻¹, enhancement factors of 3-14 were obtained for the different analytes in comparison with their direct determination by ICP TOF MS with ultrasonic nebulization without preconcentration. The accuracy of the method was demonstrated by analysis of water based certified reference materials.     

电感耦合等离子体质谱(ICP-MS)法测定锆钛矿中的铪

锆钛矿组成成分复杂,存在耐高温的锆、钛化合物,不易分解,且铪以类质同象进入锆矿物,导致锆钛矿中的铪含量不均,因此完全分解锆钛矿并准确测定其中含量不同的铪成为一个难题。本文建立了碳酸钠-硼砂高温熔融,以178Hf为分析同位素及50 ng/mL185Re为内标,使用电感耦合等离子体质谱法（ICP-MS）测定锆钛矿中铪的新方法,可准确锆钛矿中含量不均的铪。实验研究了锆钛矿成分及其熔融方法,结果表明碳酸钠-硼砂高温熔融效果最好,可完全溶解耐高温难分解的锆钛矿,当碳酸钠-硼砂质量配比为2:1时熔融效果最佳。电感耦合等离子体质谱法具有检出限低、灵敏度高、线性范围宽等优势,可用于测定锆钛矿中含量不均的铪,ICP-MS蠕动泵转速为45 rpm、雾化流量为1.06 L/min时雾化效率最优。在选定的实验条件下,HfO2质谱强度与其质量浓度在0.01～250 ng/mL范围内呈良好的线性关系,相关系数为0.9997,背景等效浓度为0.029 ng/mL,方法检出限为0.0032 ng/mL。按实验方法对中国国家标准物质中的HfO2进行测定,测定值与认定值一致,相对标准偏差在1.6%~3.2%之间。按实验方法对锆钛矿样品中的HfO2进行测定并进行加标回收率实验,测定结果的相对标准偏差（RSDs,n=9）在0.9～3.4%之间,加标回收率在96%～106%之间,满足国家地质矿产行业标准DZ/T 0130—2006的要求。     

电感耦合等离子体质谱技术最新进展

对1998年以来电感耦合等离子体质谱技术（ICP－MS）的最新进展作一简要回顾。内容包括同位素比值分析、双聚焦扇形磁场高分辨ICP－MS、多接收器磁扇形等离子体质谱仪（MC－ICP－MS）、飞行时间等离子体质谱仪（ICP－TOF－MS）、“冷”等离子体及屏蔽炬技术以及动态碰撞／反应池技术等进展。     

Ultratrace-level radium-226 determination in seawater samples by isotope dilution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

An improved and novel sample preparation method for ²²⁶Ra determination in liquid samples by isotope dilution inductively coupled plasma sector field mass spectrometry using laboratory-prepared ²²⁸Ra tracer has been developed. The procedure involves a selective preconcentration achieved by applying laboratory-prepared MnO₂ resin followed by cation exchange chromatographic separation. In order to completely eliminate possible molecular interferences, medium mass resolution (R = 4,000) combined with chemical separation was found to be a good compromise that enhanced the reliability of the method. The detection limit of 0.084 fg g⁻¹ (3.1 mBq kg⁻¹) achieved is comparable to that of the emanation method or alpha spectrometry and is suitable for low-level environmental measurements. The chemical recovery of the sample preparation method ranged from 72 to 94%. The proposed method enables a rapid, accurate and less labor-intensive approach to routine environmental ²²⁶Ra determination than the radioanalytical techniques conventionally applied.     

电感耦合等离子体-质谱法测定高纯硫粉末中17种痕量杂质

建立电感耦合等离子体-质谱(ICP-MS)法测定高纯硫粉中Si、P、V、Cr、Mn、Ni、Co、Cu、As、Zn、Zr、Cd、In、Sb、Te、Pb、Bi等17种痕量金属杂质含量的方法。样品用HClO4溶解后挥发硫基体,使样品中杂质元素得到富集,各杂质元素的方法检出限为0.1～50ng/g。方法加标回收率为83%～117%。各杂质元素均为10ng/mL的混合标准溶液平行7次测定的相对标准偏差均小于5%。该方法能够满足纯度为99.999%～99.9999%的高纯硫样品中杂质测定的需要。     

电感耦合等离子体质谱(ICP-MS)法测定锰矿冶炼烟尘中多种重金属元素

为了准确测定锰矿冶炼烟尘中重金属元素的含量,为锰矿冶炼过程中监测和评价环境影响提供有力的数据支撑,采用HCl+HNO₃+HClO₄+HF消解体系对试样进行前处理,通过选用合适的内标溶液消除测定中的非质谱干扰,采用碰撞池模式和编辑校正方程消除质谱干扰,从而建立了电感耦合等离子体质谱法测定锰矿冶炼烟尘中的Cr、Ni、Cd、Tl、Pb等多种重金属元素的方法。实验结果表明,各元素标准曲线的线性相关系数均大于0.999 9,方法检出限为0.007～0.094 mg/kg,样品测定的相对标准偏差(RSD,n=11)在0.43%～4.9%,样品加标回收率为93.8%～107%。方法具有操作简便、线性范围宽、检出限低、精密度高等优点,满足锰矿冶炼烟尘中Cr、Ni、Cd、Tl、Pb等多种重金属元素同时测定的要求。     

Determination of rare-earth elements in uranium-bearing materials by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

A novel and simple analytical procedure has been developed for the trace-level determination of lanthanides (rare-earth elements) in uranium-bearing materials by inductively coupled plasma sector-field mass spectrometry (ICP-SFMS). The method involves a selective extraction chromatographic separation of lanthanides using TRU™ resin followed by ICP-SFMS analysis. The limits of detection of the method proposed is in the low pg g⁻¹ range, which are approximately two orders of magnitude better than that of without chemical separation. The method was validated by the measurement of reference material and applied for the analysis of uranium ore concentrates (yellow cakes) for nuclear forensic purposes, as a potential application of the methodology.     

电感耦合等离子体质谱(ICP-MS)法测定土壤中的有效钼

准确快速测定土壤中的有效钼,是评价土壤肥力的重要指标,对指导作物生产有重大意义。本文采用草酸-草酸铵溶液浸提土壤样品,待测浸提液稀释5倍后通过电感耦合等离子体质谱法在氦气模式下测定土壤中有效钼的含量,建立了土壤中有效钼高灵敏度分析的检测方法。选择103Rh为内标元素,校正仪器在测定过程中引起的信号飘移。对两种前处理方式进行比较,确定了震荡30 min、放置过夜的浸提方法浸提效果更好且更利于大批量样品的分析。使用震荡30 min、放置过夜的浸提方法对5个土壤标准物质有效钼进行前处理,其测定值均在标准值范围内;分别在无气体模式和氦气模式下比较了浓度为0mg/L、1mg/L、2mg/L、5mg/L、10mg/L、50mg/L的Mn对5ug/L 95Mo测定浓度的影响,结果表明氦气模式下的动能歧视可有效去除95Mo测定过程中的多原子离子的干扰,氦气模式测定有效钼明显优于无气体模式;分别对待测溶液稀释5倍和未稀释的内标回收率趋势进行监测,发现未稀释的样品内标回收率随着测量样品数的增多呈下降趋势,而稀释5倍对基体干扰的消除有显著效果。对5个土壤样品分别重复测定6次,其RSD均小于4.1%;线性相关系数为1.0000;方法检出限为0.0012 mg/kg。综上,该方法测定土壤有效钼结果准确,重现性好,灵敏度高,且适合大批量样品的分析。     

电感耦合等离子体质谱法测定血液和精液中的硼

采用HNO3-H2O2和氨水-甘露醇两种方法处理样品,电感耦合等离子体质谱法（ICP-MS）测定血液和精液中的硼。Be作内标补偿基体效应,并用标准加入法验证了方法的可靠性,标准加入法与外标法测定结果相吻合。在测定B的同时,还可进行Cr、Cu、Cd、Ba、Sr、Mn、Co、Tl、Li、Pb、Zn、Sc、Ti、V、As等多元素测定。两种样品处理方法的测定值呈显著正相关（r=0.99919）。方法检出限为0．11ng／mL（氨水-甘露醇法）,0.06ng／mL（HNO3-H2O2）。已用于测定某硼矿区血液和精液样品中的硼。     

Lead determination in whole blood by laser ablation coupled with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

This work describes a simple procedure for blood lead level determination. The proposed method requires little sample pretreatment and subsequent direct analysis of a dried blood spot on a filter membrane using laser ablation coupled with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). In general, LA-ICP-MS studies are somewhat limited by the lack of matrix-matched standards for calibration purposes. Here we describe aqueous standard calibration and matrix-matched calibration methods. This method was validated by analysis of the reference materials. With the matrix-matched calibration method, the recovery ranged from 97.8% to 112.8%, while the aqueous standard calibration method ranged 90.4% to 122.4%. The lower detection limit was estimated as 0.1 ng mL⁻¹. The determination precision, expressed as the relative standard deviation (RSD), was not worse than 10% for all results. A sample throughput of approximately 5 min per sample made it possible to rapidly screen a large number of samples.     

Applications of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry in materials science

Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and laser ablation ICP-MS (LA-ICP-MS) have been applied as the most important inorganic mass spectrometric techniques having multielemental capability for the characterization of solid samples in materials science. ICP-MS is used for the sensitive determination of trace and ultratrace elements in digested solutions of solid samples or of process chemicals (ultrapure water, acids and organic solutions) for the semiconductor industry with detection limits down to sub-picogram per liter levels. Whereas ICP-MS on solid samples (e.g. high-purity ceramics) sometimes requires time-consuming sample preparation for its application in materials science, and the risk of contamination is a serious drawback, a fast, direct determination of trace elements in solid materials without any sample preparation by LA-ICP-MS is possible. The detection limits for the direct analysis of solid samples by LA-ICP-MS have been determined for many elements down to the nanogram per gram range. A deterioration of detection limits was observed for elements where interferences with polyatomic ions occur. The inherent interference problem can often be solved by applying a double-focusing sector field mass spectrometer at higher mass resolution or by collision-induced reactions of polyatomic ions with a collision gas using an ICP-MS fitted with collision cell. The main problem of LA-ICP-MS is quantification if no suitable standard reference materials with a similar matrix composition are available. The calibration problem in LA-ICP-MS can be solved using on-line solution-based calibration, and different procedures, such as external calibration and standard addition, have been discussed with respect to their application in materials science. The application of isotope dilution in solution-based calibration for trace metal determination in small amounts of noble metals has been developed as a new calibration strategy. This review discusses new analytical developments and possible applications of ICP-MS and LA-ICP-MS for the quantitative determination of trace elements and in surface analysis for materials science.     

Design analysis of a laser ablation cell for inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry by numerical simulation

A laser ablation setup including outer chamber, sample tube, sample holder and transport tubing was modelled and optimized using advanced computational fluid dynamics techniques. The different components of the setup were coupled and the whole device was modelled at once. The mass transport efficiency and transit times of near infrared femtosecond (fs) laser generated brass aerosols in pure argon and helium–argon mixtures were calculated at experimentally optimized conditions and a transient signal was constructed. The use of helium or argon did not influence the mass transport efficiency, but the signal structure changed. The signal fine structure was retrieved and experimentally validated. Bimodal peak structures were observed that seemed to originate from turbulent effects in the tubing connecting a Y-connector and the injector.     

Matrix effects in inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry: a review

Fundamental research on non-spectroscopic interferences, also known as matrix effects, in inductively coupled plasma (ICP) mass spectrometry with sample introduction using nebulization is critically and exclusively examined in this review, starting with fundamental processes that may be a source of matrix effects during sample introduction, ion generation in the ICP, ion extraction through the interface, and ion transport through the ion optics to the detector. Various methods for attenuating matrix effects are then reviewed and illustrated with some examples. Instead of exhaustively reviewing the literature, representative references are used to comprehensively describe the main issues, several of which are also common to ICP optical emission spectrometry.     

电感耦合等离子体质谱法测定固体生物质燃料中重金属

为开展重金属监测及环境保护,本文建立了电感耦合等离子体质谱法测定固体生物质燃料中重金属方法。对样品全消解酸溶法进行了实验研究,确定了微波消解酸体系和微波消解程序。采用Ge和In作为内标元素消除仪器干扰,方法线性关系良好,线性系数>0.999,检出限为0.001～0.089mg/kg。采用标准物质对方法准确性和稳定性进行验证,各元素测定值均在标准证书值范围内,相对标准偏差在0.36%～3.96%,Hg的加标平均回收率为104.7%。通过3家实验室协同实验验证了方法准确性,并给出了方法精密度。     

Determination of ultratrace levels of dissolved metals in seawater by reaction cell inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry after ammonia induced magnesium hydroxide coprecipitation

A method for the determination of ultratrace amounts of Cr, Fe, Mn, Pb and Zn in seawater has been developed. It combined the low-blank magnesium hydroxide coprecipitation procedure with quadrupole inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and used the dynamic reaction cell technique to resolve the polyatomic interferences arising from the residual matrix, the solvent and plasma gases. Detection limits (3σ_B, n = 10) for Cr, Fe, Mn, Pb and Zn were 0.02, 0.10, 0.01, 0.002 and 0.19 nM, respectively, using 50 mL of seawater sample. The accuracy of the analytical procedure was verified by the analysis of the seawater reference materials CASS-4, NASS-5, SAFe D2 and SAFe S. The analytical precision ranged from 3% to 16% (n = 6), with a sample throughput of about 6 samples h⁻¹.