Issue 9, 2011

An improved digestion technique for determination of platinum group elements in geological samples

Abstract

This paper reports a modified digestion method for the determination of platinum group elements (PGEs) in geological samples. Samples are first digested by HF in a custom made 120 ml PTFE beaker on a hot plate to remove silicates. The dried residue is then digested with HF + HNO3 at 190 °C for about 48 h after the beaker is sealed in a stainless steel pressure bomb. Although only HF + HNO3 are used for sample digestion at relatively low temperature, ultramafic rocks with refractory minerals can be effectively decomposed by this method. Analytical results for CCRMP (CANMET, Ottawa, Canada) certified reference materials WGB-1 (gabbro), UMT-1 (ultramafic ore tailings), WPR-1 (peridotite) and WMS-1(Massive Sulphide), agree well with the certified values. The proposed method significantly simplifies the sample digestion procedures for PGE analysis compared to those used previously.

Graphical abstract: An improved digestion technique for determination of platinum group elements in geological samples

Article information

Article type
Technical Note
Submitted
30 Mar 2011
Accepted
19 May 2011
First published
29 Jun 2011

J. Anal. At. Spectrom., 2011,26, 1900-1904

An improved digestion technique for determination of platinum group elements in geological samples

L. Qi, J. Gao, X. Huang, J. Hu, M. Zhou and H. Zhong, J. Anal. At. Spectrom., 2011, 26, 1900 DOI: 10.1039/C1JA10114E

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