MULTIELEMENT TRACE DETERMINATIONS IN AL2O3 CERAMIC POWDERS BY INDUCTIVELY-COUPLED PLASMA-MASS SPECTROMETRY WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO ONLINETRACE PRECONCENTRATION
D. Pollmann et al., MULTIELEMENT TRACE DETERMINATIONS IN AL2O3 CERAMIC POWDERS BY INDUCTIVELY-COUPLED PLASMA-MASS SPECTROMETRY WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO ONLINETRACE PRECONCENTRATION, Spectrochimica acta, Part B: Atomic spectroscopy, 49(12-14), 1994, pp. 1251-1258
The use of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for t
he determination of trace elements in Al2O3 powders is reported. Speci
al interest is given to a preconcentration of the trace elements by on
-line coupling of chromatography to ICP-MS. This is based on the compl
exation of Co, Cu, Cr, Fe, Ga, Mn, Ni, V and Zn with hexamethylene-dit
hiocarbamate (HMDC), their preconcentration on a C18 RP column by reve
rsed phase liquid chromatography and their elution with CH3OH-H2O mixt
ures. A direct coupling of the HPLC system to the ICP-MS has been real
ized by high pressure pneumatic nebulization using desolvation. With t
he chromatographic method developed, removal of the Al by at least 99%
was achieved. For the trace elements V, Fe, Ni, Co, Cu and Ga, high a
nd reproducible recoveries (ranging from 96-99%) were reached, The met
hod developed has been shown to considerably enhance the power of dete
ction as compared with direct procedures, namely down to 0.02-0.16 mu
g/g for V and Fe, respectively. The possibilities of the method are sh
own by the determinations of V, Mn, Fe, Ni, Co, Cu, Zn and Ga at the m
u g/g level in Al2O3 powders. The accuracy of the method at the 0.06 t
o 9.0 mu g/g level for Co and Fe, respectively, is demonstrated by a c
omparison with results of independent methods from the literature.