Determination of platinum group elements and gold in geological materials: a review of recent magnetic sector and laser ablation applications

Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) has been used extensively as a rapid and accurate instrumental technique for determinations of platinum group elements (PGEs) and gold. Methods based upon ICP-MS have been important in analyses of many types of samples, and especially of geological materials containing very low concentrations of these elements. Recently, analytical methods based upon ICP-MS have been improved and widened in scope by the introduction of new magnetic sector (or high resolution) spectrometers, and laser ablation (LA) sampling. Detection limits attainable for PGEs and Au using magnetic sector instruments in analytical procedures cited here are as low as 0.01-0.02 pg g⁻¹; instruments have a dynamic range of up to nine orders of magnitude. This review describes applications of the techniques to analyses of PGEs and gold in minerals, nodules, meteorites, ice, sediments, airborne particulates and reference materials. The period covered is 1998-2002.     

The tin-collection scheme for the determination of platinum-group metals, gold and silver

A comprehensive analytical scheme is presented for the determination of the six platinum-group metals, gold and silver. It is the result of the integration of separate procedures that have been described previously, in part, over the course of several years. The analytical scheme has been thoroughly tested in umpire and standards work on a wide variety of materials and, as a consequence, is of increasing interest to many laboratories. The precious metals are collected in molten tin when the sample is fused at 1200-1250 degrees with a flux containing stannic oxide, sodium carbonate, silica, borax and flour. The resultant tin alloy is dissolved and the precious metals are isolated by ion-exchange, solvent extraction and/or distillation procedures. With the exception of the usual facilities required in the fusion step of fire assaying, standard equipment can be used in the wet-chemical operations for the isolation and determination of the individual precious metals.     

Distribution and speciation of platinum group elements in environmental matrices

The use of platinum group elements (PGEs) as components of autocatalytic converters attached to motor vehicles has resulted in serious contamination of the environment by Pt, Rh and Pd in nanocrystalline forms. Trace concentrations of PGEs, particularly the major component Pt, in environmental samples have been measured by sensitive instrumental procedures. These data have raised further questions about the nature of Pt species in contaminated soils and in plants grown in them. The focus of attention is changing from accumulations of data expressing total concentrations to investigations of speciation. Application of analytical procedures for research on speciation has provided information concerning transformations of Pt compounds in contaminated soils, the uptake of Pt by plants and the nature of Pt compounds in vegetation. Determination of background levels of precious metals in clinical and environmental matrices has required the development of analytical methods which combine uses of minimal quantities of reagents, and as small a number of chemical operations as possible to yield very low procedural blanks. Sensitive instrumental methods based upon high resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and adsorptive stripping voltammetry have proven to be valuable for this work.     

Sample digestion methods for the determination of traces of precious metals by spectrometric techniques.

Recent advances in digestion methods used in the analysis of precious metal samples by spectrometric techniques are reviewed. The applicability of a fire assay, a wet acid treatment, chlorination and alkaline oxidizing fusion to a quantitative recovery of metals from various materials is discussed. Data on the precious metal contents obtained by using particular digestion methods as well as UV-VIS spectrophotometry, atomic absorption spectrometry, atomic emission spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry in the examination of various samples are tabulated.     

Die entwicklung edelmetallselektiver extraktionsmittel und ihre anwendbarkeit in der analytischen chemie

Summary The classical fire assay technique is still the most important procedure for the isolation and determination of precious metals. However, the lead collection system is basically suitable for extracting gold and silver, less for platinum, palladium and the rare precious metals. Extensive corrections are required to achieve accurate results. Many attempts are published to improve the situation by applying alternate collectors, additional chemical separations and instrumental determinative methods, such as atomic absorption and plasma emission spectrometry.Promising methods could be employed if certain separating media (solvent extractants, ion-exchange resins) are provided which extract precious metals selectively and reversibly. In such a case the final calibration step can be carried out with standard solutions of definite composition.The designing of ler made extractants has to consider the complex nature of the solution chemistry of precious metals. Hence, the relationship between metal properties and solvent extraction and ion exchange is briefly surveyed. The outlook with respect to the authors' research activities is focussed on the synthesis, characterization and application of new organic liquid and solid extractants (modified polystyrene and silica gel). These materials are based on chelating formazans and ion-exchanging tetrazolium salts. The selectivity, efficiency and mechanism of metal extraction and re-extraction are reviewed with respect to the effects of substituents attached to the metal binding groups, the influence of organic solvents and the nature of various supports (silica gel, polystyrene). Certain analytical applications are presented, e.g. the determination of silver, gold, platinum and palladium by means of formazan extraction, sorption on to tetrazolium-resins and DCP-emission spectrometry. The methods offer the advantages of selectivity and simplicity.

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Herrn Prof. Dr. G. Tölg zum 60. Geburtstag gewidmet     

NAA of Platinum Group Elements and Gold in Reference Materials: A Comparison of Two Methods

Two methods have been developed for the determination of platinum group elements (PGEs) and gold in four geological reference materials: one using radiochemical neutron activation analysis and the other using nickel sulphide fire assay, followed by instrumental neutron activation analysis. The results from ten multiplicate measurements have been discussed in terms of precision and accuracy. The average precision for both methods is about 5%. Comparing the reported data with existing values in the literature, the accuracy of the proposed methods is good agreement in most cases. Detection limits in the range 0.001–0.015 ng have been derived for both methods under the operational conditions.     

Determination of rhodium: Since the origins until today Spectrophotometric methods

Anthropogenic emission of platinum group elements (PGEs) from the abrasion of automotive catalytic converters into the environment has significantly increased. Dust emitted from the catalyst is causing pollution problems of these metals in the future. However, the concentration level of these PGEs is still very low in the nature. The choice of which determination method to use depends on the levels of rhodium, the nature of the sample matrix and the availability of the instrument. In recent years, the development of analytical methods for the determination of rhodium has increased. This review reports the developments in UV-vis absorption spectrometry applied to the determination of rhodium.     

Preparation of a gold electrode modified with tri-n-octylphosphine oxide and its application to determination of mercury in the environment

A gold film electrode modified with a film of tri-n-octylphosphine oxide (TOPO) in a PVC matrix has been prepared and tested. Cyclic voltammetric experiments have shown that the electrode is useful for highly selective voltammetric determinations of a number of metals, primarily Hg, Cr, Fe, Bi, Sb, U and Pb. The electrode has been applied to the anodic stripping voltammetric determination of mercury in some environmental samples, such as river sediments. Concentrations of 0.02-50 ppm of mercury can be determined with good precision and accuracy, as demonstrated by analyses of reference materials. A selective decomposition of the samples at laboratory temperature decreases the danger of sample contamination and of volatilization of mercury.     

A comparison of the capacity of FA-ICP-MS and FA-INAA

The platinum-group elements (PGEs) are commonly determined by INAA and ICP-MS after a NiS fire assay preconcentration. The results of the initial round robin for the PGEs and gold were examined for geological Canadian reference materials (WGB-1, TDB-1, UMT-1, WPR-1, WMG-1, and WMS-1). The Au accuracy is generally within 15% for both methods. For Ir, Os, Pd, Pt and Rh the accuracy for most samples is better than 10% for FA-ICP-MS and FA-INAA (true only for sulfide-bearing samples in the case of FA-INAA). Ru is not very accurate by either methods. Ru and Au have problems with precision which is interpreted to be related to the loss of gold in the dissolution step and for Ru, the source of the problem is not yet understood. Kurtosis show that FA-INAA has higher clustering than FA-ICP-MS for most analytes. It suggests a slightly better precision for FA-INAA. This is explained by the robustness of INAA after the NiS preconcentration despite its lower instrumental precision versus the complex dissolution steps involved in ICP-MS. For samples richer in PGEs (sulfide- and/or oxide-bearing rocks) both methods perform adequately but for low PGEs concentration samples (crustal rocks) ICP-MS shows an advantage.     

A rapid fire-assay/atomic-absorption method for the determination of platinum, palladium and gold in ores and concentrates: A modification of the tin-collection scheme

The tin-collection scheme of fire-assaying has been simplified to permit the rapid and accurate determination of platinum, palladium and gold in ores and related materials. The presence of tellurium in the charge ensures that the precious metals remain insoluble during the parting of the tin button with hydrochloric acid. The residue is easily collected and dissolved and the resultant solution analysed for the precious metals by AAS. The accuracy of the method has been established by application to five diverse certified reference materials.     

K金饰品中金含量的检测方法比对

目前实验室对金首饰金含量的主要检测方法为火试金法、X射线荧光光谱（XRF）法和电感耦合等离子体-原子发射光谱（ICP-AES）法.当测试结果出现争议时,国家标准GB 11887-2012中以火试金法作为仲裁方法.采用上述3种不同的金含量测试方法分别对14K、18K和22K饰品的金含量进行测定,并对3种方法检测结果进行比对.结果发现,在3种方法均可满足样品分析对准确度的要求时,以火试金法为基准,XRF法与ICP-AES法对同纯度的金首饰检测结果的相对误差差异较大,XRF法的结果可满足检测要求,而ICP-AES法的结果无法满足检测要求.其中,XRF法的相对误差为0.05%~0.77%,ICP-AES法的相对误差为1.24%~3.89%.从结果来看,低纯度的K金饰品使用XRF法的检测结果要更接近于火试金法.     

A critical review of the volumetric methods for the platinum metals

The published methods for the volumetric determination of the six platinum metals have been appraised. The lack of generally applicable and accurate methods is emphasized. No volumetric method has been recorded for the direct application to solutions of platinum metals, ores, concentrates or natural alloys, and only a few for determinations in synthetic alloys such as fire assay beads. Volumetric methods for the platinum metals are characterized by the absence of data concerning methods of dissolution.     

乙酸除铋火试金法测定粗铋中的金银含量

建立了用乙酸分离粗铋中铋-火试金重量法测定粗铋中金和银含量的方法。首先把粗铋焙烧氧化,然后用乙酸溶解粗铋的氧化物,过滤除去铋,消除铋对火试金法的干扰,将沉淀物灰化后,配料、高温熔融,熔态的金属铅捕集试样中的贵金属形成铅扣,将铅扣灰吹,得到金银合粒,用硝酸溶解分离金,用重量法测定金含量。方法准确度高,精密度好,金的加标回收率为99.2%～101%,银的加标回收率为98.2%～99.7%。能很好地满足粗铋中金、银的测定。     

Graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry for the analysis of biological materials

Graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) is used to analyze a variety of biological materials. Conventional single element determinations as well as multielement determinations made on the SIMAAC are discussed. Four sample preparation methods were used to prepare samples for GFAAS including: direct analysis of liquids, wet ashing, dry ashing, and slurry preparation. Results from analyses of a wide variety of materials are presented.     

活性炭吸附-火焰原子吸收光谱法测定粗硒中的金

建立了活性炭吸附-火焰原子吸收光谱法测定粗硒中金量的分析方法。讨论了称样量、溶样条件和活性炭的灰化程度对金量测定的影响,并且对火焰原子吸收光谱法与火试金法测定粗硒中的金量做了比较。火焰原子吸收光谱法和火试金法测定的相对标准偏差分别为1.3%~5.9%和0.91%~7.8%;加标回收率分别为93.1%~100.7%和94.8%~102.2%。结果表明,方法有较好的精密度和准确度,并且具有较强的实用性。     

小锍试金铂族元素富集方法

研究了降低捕集剂镍用量的小铳试金铂族元素富集方法。通过测试,比较了重约０．５ｇ、２．５ｇ、２５ｇ试金扣的酸溶时间、铂族元素（ＰＧＥ）空白值。研究证明２．５ｇ试金扣既克服了常规试金扣和微型试金扣的缺点,又保留了它们的优点。经标准物质难证,铂族元素测定值与真值相符合。     

Proficiency testing on the analytical control of precious metal production

Our experience of executing proficiency testing programs on the analysis of precious metals and precious metal bearing materials is summarized. Six proficiency testing programs of the ”distributed sample testing” type were carried out using samples essentially distinct from each other: (I) certified samples of fine gold and fine silver, and (II) recoverable raw (scrap and catalyst waste) containing precious metals of unknown contents. The test results were assessed using the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) rules and by Z-criteria using the ISO/IEC Guide 43 scale. Satisfactory results were presented by all participants for the analysis of certified samples of fine gold and fine silver. The results of catalyst waste analysis agreed rather well, whereas the scrap analysis revealed an essential discrepancy in the data for some samples. The reasons for such discrepancies are discussed. Received: 9 June 2000 Accepted: 21 November 2000     

Development of an analytical method for monitoring worker populations exposed to platinum-group elements

The increasing industrial use of platinum-group elements (PGEs), namely Ir, Pd, Pt and Rh, and related allergies such as rhinitis, conjunctivitis, asthma, urticaria and contact dermatitis, have led to a growing need to monitor selected populations of exposed workers. In this study, the levels of PGEs were measured in indoor airborne particulate matter and in biological samples taken from employees of a plant where car catalytic converters are produced and precious metals are recovered from spent carbon catalysts. The development of an analytical procedure based on quadrupole inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (Q-ICP-MS) for the analysis of PGEs in airborne particulate matter and on sector field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (SF-ICP-MS) for the analysis of PGEs in blood, serum, urine and hair is described. For airborne particulate matter deposited on filters, the limits of detection (LoDs) were found to be 0.006 ng m⁻³, 0.020 ng m⁻³, 0.018 ng m⁻³ and 0.006 ng m⁻³ for Ir, Pd, Pt and Rh, respectively. Repeatability of measurements ranged from 1.8 to 8.5%, while recovery was in the range from 92 to 102%. For biological samples LoDs in blood, serum, urine and hair ranged from (in ng l⁻¹) 0.2–0.6 for Ir, 5–10 for Pd, 1–3 for Pt and 2–3 for Rh. For all biological materials, the repeatability varied from 1.1 to 12% for the four elements. Recovery data for the determination of PGEs in biological matrices were found to range from 84.0 to 107.8%. The method was applied to the determination of either total or respirable airborne PGEs collected from five different work areas in the plant. The difference between areas with high and low exposure correlates closely with metal levels in hair, blood and urine. The correlation coefficients between Pt in airborne particulate matter and Pt in biological materials was 0.994, 0.991 and 0.970 for blood, hair and urine, respectively.     

等离子体金属纳米结构在SERS传感及可穿戴应力传感中的应用

等离子体金属(金、银)纳米结构因其特有的理化性能,被广泛应用于表面增强拉曼散射(Surface-enhanced Raman scattering,SERS)传感及可穿戴应力传感领域。其中,SERS是一种应用贵金属纳米材料增强拉曼散射信号的检测技术,该技术灵敏度高、特异性强,已被广泛用于生物医学、环境监测、食品药品检测等领域。随着电子检测技术和柔性电子材料的快速发展,柔性可穿戴传感技术也得到了快速发展,且取得了大量的研究成果。SERS检测技术主要依赖于贵金属纳米增强基底材料,而基于贵金属纳米结构的可穿戴传感元件对人体微应力、微应变的传感具有极高的灵敏度。SERS增强基底材料与可穿戴应力传感元件材料具有互通互用性,将贵金属纳米SERS基底应用于柔性可穿戴式检测,这是SERS检测技术比较新颖的、尚未深入研究的应用领域之一。该文综述了贵金属溶胶纳米结构的材料组成分类以及该类材料在SERS和可穿戴应力传感中的应用,并分析了胶体贵金属纳米结构组成及成分对SERS传感、可穿戴应力传感灵敏度、可重复性及稳定性的影响,最后展望了贵金属胶体纳米结构在SERS传感和柔性可穿戴应用中的发展趋势。     

Transition metal phosphides: A wonder catalyst for electrocatalytic hydrogen production

Hydrogen evolution from water electrolysis has become an important reaction for the green energy revolution. Traditional precious metals and their compounds are excellent catalysts for producing hydrogen; however, their high cost limits their large-scale practical application. Therefore, the development of affordable electrocatalysts to replace these precious metals is important. Transition metal phosphides(TMPs) have shown remarkable performance for hydrogen evolution and garnered considerable ...