ANALYSIS FOR THE STABILITY OF PLATINUM-CONTAINING SPECIES IN SOIL SAMPLES USING CAPILLARY ELECTROPHORESIS INTERFACED ONLINE WITH INDUCTIVELY-COUPLED PLASMA-MASS SPECTROMETRY

Online interfacing of capillary electrophoresis (CE) with inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-IMS) has been accomplished using a laboratory-made nebulizer. The high resolution of CE is used for th e separations of Pt species of standard solutions and real samples, fo llowed by ICP-MS for element-specific detection within 12 min. The sam ples are analyzed immediately after sample preparation or after 2-4 h of aging in order to elucidate undesired species transformations which may occur before analysis. The method was proven not to impair the sp ecies during the analytical procedure while being a necessary prerequi site to judge time-dependent species transformations. Quality control aspects concerning species stability during the analytical procedure a nd stability of electrical current during nebulization were studied. A possibly interfering suction flow was estimated and found to be negli gible. The results will serve as a basis for quality assurance in futu re investigations about Pt speciation in soil.