title: Determination of traces of rare earth elements in geological samples.
abstract: A procedure for the determination of traces of rare earth elements by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) and X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF) is presented. The samples are decomposed either by fusion with lithium tetraborate or by acid attack in a microwave oven. Separation of the rare earth elements from accompanying elements is achieved by anion exchange. For the determination by ICP-OES the samples are injected in hydrochloric acid solution, for the determination by XRF the rare earth element traces are co-precipitated with rhodizonate and tannin and measured as a thin film on a membrane filter. All preconcentration steps have been optimized and tested using radiotracers. Furthermore the rare earth element contents of some international standard reference rocks have been determined; the results are compared to the certified values and other values given in the literature. The procedure is applied to a series of petrographically identical metabasites with different degrees of metamorphism to show the mobility of those ions under metamorphic conditions.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Analytical Chemistry, Micro- and Radiochemistry, Graz University of Technology, Technikerstrasse 4, A-8010-Graz, Austria.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bauer-Wolf
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wegscheider
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Posch
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Knapp
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kolmer
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Panholzer