Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometric techniques in the elemental and isotopic analysis of lanthanides and actinides

摘要

Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and the subsequently developed high resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HR-ICP-MS) are the new instrumental analytical techniques that have made a mark during last 15 years in the area of precise estimation of elemental and isotopic concentrations of not only lanthanides and actinides but also several other elements even when these elements are present at very low levels in different materials. A brief account of the usefulness of ICP-MS and HR-ICP-MS in the analysis of lanthanides and actinides in different materials is provided. The advantages of laser ablation (LA) sample introduction system and the use of high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) in conjunction with these two plasma mass spectrometric techniques are discussed. The advantages of the plasma source mass spectrometric techniques over the techniques, such as instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) and thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) for the precise estimation of lanthanides and actinides in geological, environmental and nuclear materials are presented.