Determination of the Platinum-Group Elements and Gold in Twenty Rock Reference Materials by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) after Pre-Concentration by Nickel Sulfide Fire Assay

The platinum-group elements (PGE) and gold have been determined in twenty international rock reference materials by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after pre-concentration by a nickel sulfide fire assay. It was possible to achieve determination limits for a 50 g sample that ranged from 1 pg g^-1 (Rh) to 23 pg g^-1 (Au). Compared to published certified and recommended values for rock reference materials, the trueness of the method was found to be good. However, in some cases we observed large deviations for all elements in the sub 10 ng g^-1 range within individual reference sample splits. Our results show that the PGE and Au are inhomogeneously distributed in the reference materials analysed here, where they are present in low concentrations, using 50 g test portions.     

大洋多金属结核和深海沉积物标准物质中铂族元素的中子活化分析

采用镍锍试金预富集 中子活化分析方法,测定了大洋多金属结核标准物质ＧＳＰＮ ２、ＧＳＰＮ ３和深海沉积物标准物质ＧＳＭＳ ２、ＧＳＭＳ ３中的铂族元素;根据大洋样品成分特征,对常规的镍锍试金配方和熔炼条件作了改善;计算了活化分析中的铂族元素干扰核反应,校正了Ａｕ对Ｐｔ的二级干扰;选用羰基化镍粉配料,降低了铂族元素空白值。用国家一级标准物质ＧＢＷ０７１０２作了对照分析,结果与标准值相符。     

锍镍试金技术制备含铂族元素硫化物微区分析标准样品的可行性

激光剥蚀电感耦合等离子体质谱(LA-ICP-MS)适合于直接分析硫化物矿物中痕量元素的含量及空间分布,但硫化物矿物的激光剥蚀特性与硅酸盐及氧化物不同,受到的干扰也更严重,且由于硫化物标准物质(尤其是含铂族元素、Au、Ag等贵金属元素标准物质)极度缺乏,限制了LA-ICP-MS技术在硫化物微区分析中的广泛应用。本文以贵金属标准样品GPT-9和矿石标准物质为原料合成锍镍试金扣,并封入真空管中重熔,利用背散射电子图像和LA-ICP-MS分析元素分布的均匀性,探讨真空重熔锍镍试金扣制备硫化物原位微区分析标准样品的可行性。背散射电子图像(BSE)显示真空重熔后锍镍试金扣由单相S、Ni化合物组成。LA-ICP-MS线扫描和点扫描分析表明,锍镍试金扣中S、Ni、Cr、Co、Cu、Pb、Sb、Cd、Bi等主量及微量元素分析精密度(RSD)均小于10%,均匀分布;在镍扣制备过程中Zn相对于Cu、Pb、Sb更难进入硫化物相;贵金属元素Au、Ag、Pt均一性较好,其余贵金属元素由于含量低、仪器波动及质谱干扰等影响因素造成分析数据的RSD相对较大,但可通过提高原料中贵金属元素含量、降低熔融样品淬火温度等方法进一步提高其均匀性。锍镍试金扣的组成元素对铂族元素分析的质谱干扰研究表明,重铂族元素(Os、Ir、Pt)和Au受到的干扰可忽略不计;轻铂族元素(Ru、Rh、Pd)受金属氩化物干扰较为严重,需进行干扰校正。研究认为,真空重熔技术可有效提高锍镍试金扣中各元素(包括贵金属)的均一性,达到硫化物原位微区分析标准样品的要求,利用真空重熔锍镍试金扣制备LA-ICP-MS原位微区痕量及贵金属硫化物分析标准样品具可行性。     

High Pressure Asher Digestion and an Isotope Dilution-ICP-MS Method for the Determination of Platinum-Group Element Concentrations in Chromitite Reference Materials CHR-Bkg, GAN Pt-1 and HHH

New concentration data for Ru, Rh, Pd, Re, Os, Ir and Pt are presented for three chromitite reference materials. A simple and very effective procedure was applied for the measurements. Samples were spiked with enriched isotopes and digested in a HNO₃/HCl (5+2) acid mixture at 300 °C and 125 bar (1.25 × 10⁷ Pa) pressure in a high pressure asher (HPA-S, Anton Paar). The programme settings were changed as a function of mass (0.5, 1, 2 and 4 g) and time (5 and 15 hours). Complete chromitite dissolutions for three digestions at each setting were monitored using XRD analyses of the amorphous residue after digestion. The osmium concentration was determined by sparging the OsO₄ that was formed during digestion into a quadrupole ICP-MS. After drying and re-dissolution of the remaining residue, the other PGEs were separated on-line from their matrix in a simple cation-exchange column that was coupled to the ICP-MS. The concentrations were determined through isotope dilution and external calibration (Rh). By using the on-line separation, we were able to control interference effects (isobaric and molecular), which resulted in highly reproducible data. Replicate measurements of the reference material CHR-Bkg (SARM CRPG-CNRS) with sample masses ranging from 0.5 to 4 g showed very small standard deviations compared to the results from the initial collaborative trials and published data (e.g., 3.2% RSD vs. 32% RSD for Ru). Results for platinum showed the largest scatter, which is currently attributed to the small size of the test portion. In addition to CHR-Bkg, the first results for two chromitite reference materials "platinumore" GAN Pt-1 and "chromiumore" HHH issued by the Central Geological Laboratory of Mongolia are presented.     

锍镍试金-等离子体质谱法测定地球化学勘探样品中的铂族元素和金Ⅱ．分析流程空白的降低

对锍镍试金富集－等离子体质谱法测定贵金属流程中的试剂空白进行了检查，并对空白主要来源－捕集剂镍的各种纯化方法作了对比，提出了回收试金流程中溶扣后滤液中的镍循环使用。在有效降低空白的基础上，满足了化探样品所要求的0.0x ng/g级检出限，对超痕量贵金属标样分析结果与标准值符合。     

Determination of Rare Earth Elements in Geological Reference Materials: A Comparative Study by INAA and ICP-MS

Data was obtained for the rare earth elements (REE) by instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) in twenty geological reference materials. In general, the precision obtained by ICP-MS is better for the light REE, decreasing with increasing atomic number. This is partly a result of the occurrence of the heavy REE at low concentrations. The precision of the data obtained by INAA is good (5% RSD). The data obtained also showed that for the elements determined by both methods, the accuracy is similar for the light REE and better for the middle and heavy REEs by INAA. Higher uncertainty is achieved by ICP-MS mainly for elements at very low concentrations, occurring at about ten times the chondritic values.     

煎茶岭硫化镍矿床矿石地球化学特征

通过对煎茶岭硫化镍矿床地质背景及矿石的地质地球化学研究,认为该镍矿床的形成与煎茶岭镁质超基性岩体密切相关,其成矿物质来源于深部,存在多种成矿作用,包括源自上地幔局部熔融的母岩浆在通过上地幔岩石圈上升侵位过程中发生的就地熔离作用和岩体形成后的自变质作用、中酸性岩浆侵入引起的热液叠加改造作用等.后期中酸性岩浆热液的交代改造是形成该矿床中部分富镍矿体的主要原因.该镍矿床PGE含量较低且贫铜,成因上应属岩浆熔离-热液改造型矿床.     

Platinum-Group Elements and Gold Determination in NiS Fire Assay Buttons by UV Laser Ablation ICP-MS

The direct analysis of nickel sulfide fire assay buttons by UV laser ablation ICP-MS was used to determine the platinum-group elements and gold in the following reference materials: UMT-1, WPR-1, WMG-1, GPt-4, GPt-6 and CHR-Bkg. The instrument was calibrated with buttons prepared using quartz doped with the appropriate standard solutions. Analytical precision (RSD) was generally better than 10%, although occasional higher RSDs may infer local heterogeneities within nickel sulfide buttons. Good or excellent agreement was observed between analysed and reference material values except Rh in UMT-1 and WMG-1, which suffered an interference from copper. Detection limits calculated as 10 s quantitation limits were Au (1.7 ng g⁻¹), Pd (3.3 ng g⁻¹), Pt (8.3 ng g⁻¹), Os (1.3 ng g⁻¹), Rh (1 ng g⁻¹), Ru (5 ng g⁻¹) and Ir (0.7 ng g⁻¹).     

Comparison of Recoveries by Lead Fire Assay and Nickel Sulfide Fire Assay in the Determination of Gold/ Platinum/ Palladium and Rhenium in Sulfide Ore Samples

We compared the recovery of gold, palladium and platinum by two fire assaying procedures, using nickel sulfide and lead as collectors. The presence of appreciable amounts of sulfide minerals in the sample caused interferences in both procedures. An in-house reference sample, a reference sample of high-grade sulfide ore and samples of high sulfide content from the Recsk porphyry copper ore in Hungary were analysed by both methods. The elements were determined by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission (ICP-AES) and/or inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). It was found that for the sulfide ore samples, the recoveries of Au and Pd are sometimes lower by nickel sulfide fire assay than by lead fire assay. Recovery of Re by nickel sulfide fire assay was found to be low: the average recovery of five repeated analyses of the reference sample NIST SRM 330 was 9% with a relative standard deviation of 48%. Increasing the amount of S in the fusion flux gave better recovery.     

锍镍试金富集-电感耦合等离子体质谱法测定黑色页岩中的铂族元素

黑色页岩中碳、硫、镍等元素的含量很高,按照常规的锍镍试金熔剂配方不能形成较好的锍扣,影响铂族元素准确定值。本文通过调整试剂配方、优化操作流程等方式建立了黑色页岩中铂族元素的锍镍试金-电感耦合等离子体质谱(ICP-MS)测定方法。结果表明,加入适量硝酸钾可以将铂族元素回收率提高了大约10%。用盐酸溶解锍扣之后,溶液中仍然存在大量黑色沉淀,不易过滤和溶解,趁热在不断搅拌下加入2～3 mL三氯化铁溶液可以在很大程度上减少沉淀量,降低实验操作的难度和不确定性。方法检出限Ru为0.054 ng/g,Rh为0.040 ng/g,Pd为0.40 ng/g,Ir为0.032 ng/g,Pt为0.27 ng/g,Os为0.026 ng/g。精密度和准确度试验表明,该方法稳定可靠,可用于黑色页岩中铂族元素的准确测定。     

Platinum-Group Element and Rhenium Concentrations in Low Abundance Reference Materials

One or two gram aliquots of twelve reference materials with low platinum-group element (PGE) abundances (Ir concentrations ranging from 30 to 510 pg g^-1) were analysed by isotope dilution ICP-MS using an on-line chromatographic matrix separation after acid digestion in a high pressure asher (HPA-S) to determine the concentrations of Ru, Pd, Re, Ir and Pt. Osmium concentrations were determined via ID-ICP-MS but as volatile OsO₄, whereas Rh concentrations were calculated by comparing the peak areas of the chromatographic peak with that of a standard solution. Validation of the method was performed and the concepts of traceability and measurement uncertainty were applied to assure comparability. The reference materials BCR-2, BHVO-1, BHVO-2, BIR-1, DNC-1, EN026 10D-3, MAG-1, RGM-1, SCo-1, SDO-1, TDB-1 and W-2 were investigated to test for their usefulness for certification. The use of TDB-1 is highly recommended because it is homogeneous at the two gram level and many values based on several different analytical procedures have been published. It is recommended that our efforts should focus on the certification of this reference material to reduce the uncertainties of its currently certified values (Pd and Pt only) and to assign certified values to the other PGE and Re. It is necessary to have at least one well-characterised RM for validation of methods applied to the analysis of PGE and Re in low abundance samples, although the matrix of TDB-1 might not completely match those of many samples.     

镍矿石和镍精矿标准物质研制

我国镍矿石与镍精矿标准物质较少,镍矿石成分分析标准物质仅有1个,镍含量较高(4.33％),当前已有的标准物质基本用尽,且国际上尚没有镍精矿标准物质.本文研制了3个镍矿石标准物质(GNi-1、GNi-2、GNi-3)和2个镍精矿标准物质(GNi-4和GNi-5).标准物质候选物采自吉林省红旗岭镍矿,将样品粉碎至粒度小于0.074 mm,针对样品硫化物含量较高的特点,在样品加工过程中采用低温和球磨机中充满氩气的保存方法,防止加工过程中产生热量导致硫化物发生氧化,提高样品长期稳定性采用X射线荧光光谱和电感耦合等离子体发射光谱法(ICP-AES)对样品的均匀性进行检验,F的实测值小于临界值,相对标准偏差较小,样品均匀性良好;两年内4次测定的分析结果无方向性变化趋势,统计计算结果显示稳定性良好.19家实验室对此批标准物质进行联合定值,Ni采用经典分光光度法、容量法与重量法测定,微量元素采用ICP-AES和电感耦合等离子体质谱(ICP-MS)等技术测定,依照ISO导则35和国家一级标准物质研制规范,3个镍矿石标准物质给出了Ni、Cu、S等23种组分的标准值与不确定度;2个镍精矿标准物质的19种组分给出标准值与不确定度,4种组分给出参考值.镍矿石标准物质中镍的含量分别为0.11％、0.33％、1.02％;镍精矿标准物质中镍的含量分别为5.93％、9.01％,形成一个从边界品位、工业品位至镍精矿较为完整的含量系列,能够满足镍矿勘查和选冶对标准物质的需求.     

Determination of Trace Elements in Twenty Six Chinese Geochemistry Reference Materials by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry

We report new data for thirty seven elements determined in twenty six Chinese geochemistry reference materials using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry and a reliable and simple dissolution technique. One hundred milligrams of sample were digested with 1 ml of HF and 0.5 ml of HNO₃ in PTFE-lined stainless steel bombs heated to 200 °C for 12 hours. Insoluble residues were dissolved using 6 ml of 40% v/v HNO₃ heated to 140 C for 3 hours. Analytical calibration was accomplished using aqueous standard solutions. Rhodium was used as an internal standard to correct for matrix effects and instrument drift. Precisions were typically better than 5% RSD. Most of the data presented here agree well with the published certified values. For the elements Zr, Hf and most other trace elements, the measured values were less than 10% in error when compared to certified values.     

锍镍试金富集-等离子体质谱法测定煌斑岩中铂族元素

试金配料中适量加入铁粉,控制硫化铁在锍扣中的含量在20%~40%,获得的锍扣直接用水浸泡粉化后加盐酸分解,分解结束后趁热过滤,沉淀用1mL王水溶解,定容后上机测定,Cs作内标。改进后的方法空白水平进一步降低,检出限得到显著改善,分析流程简化。采用改进后的锍镍试金富集-等离子体质谱法测定了云南哀牢山金矿带煌斑岩和国家一级标准物质GBW 07288(GPt-1)、GBW 07290(GPt-3)中的铂族元素(PGEs)含量,方法检出限为0.001~0.01ng/g,精密度(RSD,n=5)为7.49%~16.6%。     

Determination of Trace Elements in Selected Geological Reference Materials by Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis

Data are presented for eight rare earth elements and ten other elements in 22 reference samples recently distributed by the University of Liege (Belgian sedimentary rock reference samples), the Geological and Mining Service (Suriname), the Geological Survey of Japan and the Venezuelan laterite. Determinations were made using a well characterised, high precision, neutron activation analysis technique.     

Usable Values of Nickel Ore and Nickel Concentrate Certified Reference Materials

The preparation and characterisation of three nickel ores and two nickel concentrate certified reference materials are described in this paper. The samples of nickel ore and nickel concentrate were collected from the Hongqiling nickel deposit in Jilin province. The raw materials were crushed and passed through a 2.0‐mm sieve. The rough samples were then ground for 48 hr in a high‐alumina ball mill to a final size of < 0.074 mm. Homogeneity of the samples was tested by X‐ray fluorescence spectrometry (WD‐XRF) and inductively coupled plasma‐atomic emission spectrometry (ICP‐AES). The relative standard deviations (RSD) of results on mass fraction measurements by WD‐XRF were < 1.0% m/m for eighteen components. F‐tests showed that all five samples were homogeneous. Nineteen laboratories contributed with measurement results (2127 in total) for the certification of mass fractions for twenty‐three elements and compounds. Twenty‐three components in the nickel ores and twenty components in the nickel concentrates were characterised as certified values, while the Ni mass fractions ranges from 0.1 to 9.02% m/m in these certified reference materials. These five samples were approved as national certified reference materials by the National Organisation of Reference Materials of China in 2012.     

Determination of Platinum-Group Elements and Forty Two Other Elements in Two Candidate Danish Cretaceous-Tertiary Boundary Clay Reference Materials by INAA, ENAA and RNAA

Ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, osmium, iridium and platinum (PGEs) and forty two other elements in two candidate geological Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary clay reference materials taken from the Fish Clay, Stevns Klint, Denmark, were determined by a combination of neutron activation analysis (NAA) consisting of instrumental, epithermal and radiochemical NAA with or without nickel sulfide fire assay preconcentration. The accuracy of the experimental values was assessed by the comparative analysis of the certified reference materials.     

锍镍试金富集-等离子体质谱法测定西太平洋富钴结壳中的铂族元素

根据西太平洋麦哲伦海山富钴板状结壳样品的成分特征，对常规的锍镍试金配方作了改进；酌情减少捕集剂羰基镍的加入量，可显著降低铂族元素的空白值。富集后的样品，采用电感耦合等离子体质谱测定铂族元素（PGE）。其中，Ru、Rh、Pd、Ir和Pt用常规外标法测定，^175Lu作内标；Os用同位素稀释法测定。用国家一级标准物质GBW07290和GBW07291作监控分析质量的参考样，结果满足要求。     

Determination of Bromine and Iodine in Twenty-three Geochemical Reference Materials by ICP-MS

Trace amounts (from nanogram to microgram levels) of bromine and iodine were determined by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) in twenty-three geochemical reference materials issued by the GSJ, USGS, IAEA etc. The pyrohydrolysis technique was used to separate bromine and iodine from samples analysed in the form of powder. The accuracy and precision of the experimental values were assessed by the comparative analysis of well established reference materials such as USGS AGV-1, BCR-1 and IGGE GBW07312. The measured values agreed well with reported values within a 10% error range. We also report reliable new data for these elements in these geochemical reference materials.