title: A comparative study of sample dissolution techniques and plasma-based instruments for the precise and accurate quantification of REEs in mineral matrices.
abstract: The recent commercialisation of inductively coupled plasma tandem mass spectrometric (ICP-MS/MS) instruments has provided analytical chemists with a new tool to properly quantify atomic composition in a variety of matrices with minimal sample preparation. In this article, we report on our assessment of the compatibility of 3 sample preparation techniques (open-vessel acid digestion, microwave digestion and alkaline fusion) for the quantification of rare earth elements (REEs) in mineral matrices. The combination of the high digestion temperatures (1050 °C) and using LiBO2as a flux was the most effective strategy for the digestion of all rare earth elements in mineral matrices and was compatible with ICP-MS/MS measurements. We also assessed the analytical performances of ICP-MS/MS against other plasma-based instrumentation (microwave induced plasma and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (MIP-AES and ICP-AES, respectively) and single quadrupole inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The comparative study showed that the concentrations obtained by ICP-MS/MS are in excellent agreement with the certified reference material values, and much more suited than the other analytical techniques tested for the quantification of REEs, which exhibited low detectability and/or spectral interferences for some elements/isotopes. Finally, the ruggedness of the analytical protocol proposed which combines a rapid sample dissolution step performed by an automated fusion unit and an ICP-MS/MS as a detector was established using various certified mineral matrices containing variable levels of REEs.
authors.affiliation: Département de génie des mines, de la métallurgie et des matériaux, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada; Département de chimie, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: Laurence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Whitty-Léveillé
authors.affiliation: Département de génie des mines, de la métallurgie et des matériaux, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada; Département de chimie, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: Keven
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Turgeon
authors.affiliation: Département de génie des mines, de la métallurgie et des matériaux, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: Claude
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bazin
authors.affiliation: Département de chimie, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada. Electronic address: dominic.lariviere@chm.ulaval.ca.
authors.forename: Dominic
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Larivière
keywords: Alkaline fusion; Inductively coupled plasma tandem mass spectrometry (ICP-MS/MS); Microwave digestion; Microwave induced plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (MIP-AES); Rare earth elements