Estimation of Ti, Zr, Nb, Hf, Ta, Th and U in beach placers and ferrodiorites by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectroscopy using lithium metaborate fusion digestion technique

摘要

Results are presented for the determination of Ti, Zr, Nb, Hf, Ta, Th and U in beach sand from Tamil Nadu coast and ferrodiorites from Bolangir District, Orissa, along with three certified reference materials, viz. ACE, NIM-L and STM-1 by inductively coupled plasmamass spectroscopy. Samples were decomposed by fusion with lithium metaborate (LiBO2) and dissolution of bead in dilute nitric acid. The method described here is rapid and sample preparation is straightforward. This study critically evaluates results obtained from two sample digestion methods: LiBO2 fusion and open vessel HF-HNO3-HClO4 digestion, and illustrates that LiBO2 fusion is more effective for recoveries of high field strength elements and refractory minerals. Accuracy and precision achieved by this method of analysis were evaluated by replicate analyses of reference samples together with beach sands and ferrodiorite samples. The precisions obtained are <3% RSD in majority of the cases, with comparable accuracies.