Feasibility of using beryllium as internal reference to reduce non-spectroscopic carbon species matrix effect in the inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) determination of boron in biological samples
As. Al-ammar et al., Feasibility of using beryllium as internal reference to reduce non-spectroscopic carbon species matrix effect in the inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) determination of boron in biological samples, SPECT ACT B, 54(13), 1999, pp. 1813-1820
The mechanism by which carbon matrix species cause non-spectroscopic matrix
interference on boron (B) and beryllium (Be) during the determination of B
in biological samples is investigated. The study indicates that, unlike ot
her matrix species such as Ca and Na that cause non-spectroscopic matrix in
terference only through space charge effect, carbon species manifest non-sp
ectroscopic interference by two mechanisms. The minor non-spectroscopic int
erference of carbon is through space charge effect. However, the major non-
spectroscopic effect of carbon is by a charge transfer mechanism from C+-sp
ecies to B and Be atoms in the central channel of the plasma discharge. The
large difference in the magnitude of the carbon charge transfer non-spectr
oscopic matrix interference between Be and B makes Be unsuitable as an inte
rnal reference for B in solutions containing more than 1500 mu g/ml dissolv
ed organic carbon (DOC). This DOC content is approximately half the DOC usu
ally present in the final sample solution for B determination in biological
samples. However, Be still acts as a perfect internal reference to B in so
lution containing matrix elements that exert their non-spectroscopic interf
erence effect through space charge mechanism (such as Na, K, Ca, etc.). (C)
1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.