title: Determination of (187)Os in molybdenite by ICP-MS with neutron-induced (186)Os and (188)Os spikes.
abstract: The article describes a method for the determination of (187)Os in molybdenite by isotope dilution inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ID-ICP-MS) with neutron-induced (186)Os and (188)Os spike. The spike used in the present work was prepared in line with the principle by which artificial nuclides are produced in a nuclear reaction. The concentration and isotopic composition of osmium in the prepared spike were evaluated accurately with the isotope dilution method, using negative thermal ion mass spectrometry (N-TIMS). The advantage of this method is that using (186)Os and (188)Os double spikes can effectively compensate for the mass discrimination effects of ICP-MS. Thus, the common correction practice for mass bias in the isotope dilution method with a single spike is unnecessary. In addition, the method enables one to reduce the determined error arising from instrumental instability. The precision for the (187)Os/((186)Os+(188)Os) ratio was approximately 2% (2sigma, RSD), but in the case of (187)Os/(186)Os, (187)Os/(188)Os and (186)Os/(188)Os, precision ranged from 2.0 to 8% (2sigma, RSD). The results for (187)Os concentration in a molybdenite sample determined with this method showed good agreement with reference values.
authors.affiliation: National Research Center of Geoanalysis, 26 Baiwanzhuang Road, Beijing 100037, People's Republic of China; Central Iron and Steel Research Institute, 76 Xueyuan Nanlu, Beijing 100081, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Qu
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Du
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhao