Sp. Verma et al., Improved capillary electrophoresis method for measuring rare-earth elements in synthetic geochemical standards, J CHROMAT A, 884(1-2), 2000, pp. 317-328
An improved capillary electrophoresis (CE) method for quantifying rare-eart
h elements (REEs) in synthetic geochemical standards was developed. Synthet
ic standard solutions were obtained from high purity metal oxides. The sepa
ration of REE total group (lanthanum to lutetium) was defined as a primary
objective. Special attention was also focused on the optimized separation o
f europium (Eu) and gadolinium (Gd) because in earlier applications they pr
esented overlapping problems. Their separation and quantitative determinati
ons are essential for geological applications. For the rapid separation of
REEs in synthetic geochemical standards, the temperature of the separation
device was optimized. An analysis temperature of 15 degrees C enabled both
the rapid separation of REEs within 2 min and the overlapping problem of Eu
-Gd to be resolved. The detection limits (<0.1 ng) and precision estimates
(generally better than 5%) were found to be satisfactory for most geologica
l applications. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.