RSC Publishing


Publishing

 

Cover image for JAAS, select for current issue

JAAS

Innovative research on the fundamental theory and application of spectrometric techniques.



Journals archive purchasers

Non-journals archive purchasers

Free access



Paper

J. Anal. At. Spectrom., 1994, 9, 935 - 938, DOI: 10.1039/JA9940900935

Determination of trace metals in sea-water and the on-line removal of matrix interferences by flow injection with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometric detection

Martin J. Bloxham, Steve J. Hill and Paul J. Worsfold

A flow injection inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry method with matrix elimination for the determination of trace metals such as manganese, cobalt, copper, zinc and lead in sea-water is described. The method involves chelation of the analytes onto an iminodiacetate-based resin (Dionex Metpac CC-1) in a micro-column with the simultaneous matrix removal of indirectly interfering species such as sodium and chloride ions. The analytes are then eluted with 2.0 mol l–1 nitric acid. The procedure was validated by analysing Open Ocean (NASS-3), Coastal (CASS-2) and Estuarine (SLEW-1) certified reference materials using standard additions. Good agreement with the certified values was achieved for Cu, Zn and Pb in NASS-3 and CASS-2, and for Mn, Co, Cu and Zn in SLEW-1 using the multi-element time resolved software on the ICP-MS instrument. Recoveries were 97–105% and the precision at the 0.1 µg l–1 level was in the range 2.3–6.9% RSD (n= 3) for Mn, Cu, Zn and Pb in NASS-3.