Role of Modern Analytical Chemistry in Material Analyses for Trace Metals

The trend in the modern analytical laboratory is toward lower and lower analytical concentration measurements. The analyst has a variety of analytical instruments and techniques in which to meet the ever growing need for lower concentration measurements with improved precision and accuracy. Techniques available to the analyst include flame and electrothermal atomization-atomic absorption spectrometry, inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry, inductively coupled plasma/mass spectrometry, laser enhanced ionization spectrometry, neutron activation analysis, spectrophotometry, isotope dilution mass spectrometry, X-ray fluorescence spectometry, electroanalytical, and chromatography. However, there is no analytical technique that is a panacea for all analytes in the modern analytical laboratory. Steps the analyst must consider to obtain the highest degree of precision and accuracy include the obtaining of a representative sample, the selection of the “best” analytical method, the preparation of the sample, the calibration of the instrumentation, the deciding on the level of effort for the chemical measurement and the evaluation of the data are discussed.     

Challenge to ultra-trace analytical techniques of nuclear materials in environmental samples for safeguards at JAERI: methodologies for physical and chemical form estimation

From a viewpoint of physical and chemical form estimation, ultra-trace analytical techniques of nuclear materials in environmental samples for safeguards have been investigated at Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute. This article deals with (1) an outline of the developed techniques for bulk and particle analyses of uranium and plutonium in the safeguards environmental samples; (2) current R&D on techniques relating to estimation of the physical and chemical form, such as SEM images and EDX spectra for fine particles of nuclear materials and fission track observation applicable to fissile materials; and (3) possible analytical methodologies, as future works, applicable to ultra-trace amounts of nuclear materials in environmental samples.     

The Surface Analysis Working Group at the Consultative Committee for Amount of Substance,Metrology in Chemistry and Biology: A successful initiative by Martin Seah

Dr Martin Seah, NPL, was the initiator, founder, and first chairman of the Surface Analysis Working Group (SAWG) at the Consultative Committee for Amount of Substance, Metrology in Chemistry and Biology (CCQM) at the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM), the international organization established by the Metre Convention. This tribute letter summarizes his achievements during his chairmanship and his long-running impact on the successful work of the group after his retirement.     

Hollow-fiber liquid-phase microextraction prior to low-temperature electrothermal vaporization ICP-MS for trace element analysis in environmental and biological samples

A new method of hollow-fiber liquid-phase microextraction (HF-LPME) prior to electrothermal vaporization (ETV) inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) determination of trace Cu, Zn, Pd, Cd, Hg, Pb and Bi, based on gaseous compounds introduction into the plasma as their diethyldithiocarbmate (DDTC) chelates, was developed. The use of the reagent DDTC as chemical modifier could not only enhance the analytical signals, but also decrease the vaporization temperature. At a temperature of 1300 degrees C, trace Cu, Zn, Pd, Cd, Hg, Pb and Bi can be vaporized completely into the ICP. The factors affecting the formation of the chelates and their vaporization behaviors were investigated in detail, and the microextraction conditions were optimized. Under the optimized conditions, the detection limits of the proposed method were 12.4, 28.7, 7.9, 4.5, 3.3, 4.8 and 1.6 pg ml(-1) for Cu, Zn, Pd, Cd, Hg, Pb and Bi, respectively. Enrichment factors of 305, 284, 24, 29, 20, 73 and 43 could be achieved within 15 min of extraction time, and the relative standard deviations (RSDs) for the seven determinations of 0.5 ng ml(-1) of target analytes were 8.8, 6.9, 7.1, 9.4, 10.2, 6.1 and 10.8%, respectively. The newly developed method has been applied to the determination of trace Cu, Zn, Pd, Cd, Hg, Pb and Bi in environmental water and human serum samples, and the recoveries for the spiked samples were in the range of 88-116%. In order to validate this method, two certified reference materials, GBW08501 peach leaves and GBW(E)080040 seawater, were analyzed, and the determined values were in good agreement with the certified values.