title: Direct Trace Element Analysis of Liquid Blood Samples by In-Air Ion Beam Analytical Techniques (PIXE-PIGE).
abstract: There are various liquid materials whose elemental composition is of interest in various fields of science and technology. In many cases, sample preparation or the extraction can be complicated, or it would destroy the original environment before the analysis (for example, in the case of biological samples). However, multielement direct analysis of liquid samples can be realized by an external PIXE-PIGE measurement system. Particle-induced X-ray and gamma-ray emission spectroscopy (PIXE, PIGE) techniques were applied in external (in-air) microbeam configuration for the trace and main element determination of liquid samples. The direct analysis of standard solutions of several metal salts and human blood samples (whole blood, blood serum, blood plasma, and formed elements) was realized. From the blood samples, Na, P, S, Cl, K, Ca, Fe, Cu, Zn, and Br elemental concentrations were determined. The focused and scanned ion beam creates an opportunity to analyze very small volume samples (∼10 μL). As the sample matrix consists of light elements, the analysis is possible at ppm level. Using this external beam setup, it was found that it is possible to determine elemental composition of small-volume liquid samples routinely, while the liquid samples do not require any preparation processes, and thus, they can be analyzed directly. In the case of lower concentrations, the method is also suitable for the analysis (down to even ∼1 ppm level) but with less accuracy and longer measurement times.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Nuclear Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA Atomki) , P.O. Box 51, H-4001 Debrecen, Hungary.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-9986-2388
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Huszank
authors.affiliation: Institute for Nuclear Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA Atomki) , P.O. Box 51, H-4001 Debrecen, Hungary.
authors.forename: László
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Csedreki
authors.affiliation: Institute for Nuclear Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA Atomki) , P.O. Box 51, H-4001 Debrecen, Hungary.
authors.forename: Zsófia
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Török
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007477:Ions / Q000737:chemistry; D057230:Limit of Detection; D011522:Protons; D013052:Spectrometry, X-Ray Emission / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D014131:Trace Elements / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D007477:Ions; D011522:Protons; D014131:Trace Elements