Precise Determination of Eu Concentration in Coal and Sedimentary Rock Samples Using High-Resolution Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (HR-ICP-MS)

Abstract

Europium (Eu) in coal and sedimentary rocks has important mineral resource potential as well as being a crucial parameter in geochemical studies that can represent changes in the depositional environment during coal deposition and identify the depositional source region. Therefore, it is essential to realize the precise measurement of Eu in coal as this could be a useful parameter for paleoenvironmental reconstruction studies and the exploration of mineral resources. During inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) analysis, polyatomic ions of Ba may interfere with Eu, causing the observed value to be higher than the actual value. This paper develops a new approach for Eu determination by using a high-resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HR-ICP-MS). The mass spectral interference and correction of Eu in the coal and sedimentary rock samples at low, medium, and high resolutions were investigated. The results showed that in the high-resolution mode (resolution = 10,000 amu), the interference of polyatomic ions of Ba could be distinguished from Eu; hence, Eu was determined under this circumstance. Under the optimal experimental circumstances, the detection limit was 0.006 μg/mL, the relative standard deviation was 0.80%–1.22%, and the linear correlation coefficient of the standard curve was over 0.9999. The recoveries of the 103Rh internal standard solution ranged from 94.41% to 100.10%. This method was verified using standard reference materials and selected samples, which demonstrated its high sensitivity, accuracy, and reliability, and a low detection limit, making it appropriate for detecting Eu in samples of coal and sedimentary rocks.

Comparison of the Application of High-Resolution Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (HR-ICP-MS) and Collision/Reaction Cell Technology of Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-CCT-MS) in the Determination of Selenium in Coal-Bearing Strata

“…Once these steps were completed, the instrument was prepared for sample analysis. For detailed information on the HR-ICP-MS analysis procedure, refer to Zhao et al (2024) [60].…”

“…High-resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HR-ICP-MS), an improved method of ICP-MS, has gained widespread usage in trace element determination in coal-bearing strata [55][56][57][58]. However, limited discussions exist regarding interferences in the testing process of Se and its application in coal-bearing strata [24,51,59,60]. In this study, we conduct a systematic analysis of the suffered interferences of six natural isotopes of Se during mass spectrometry, propose a method for determining 77 Se at medium resolution, and evaluate the reliability of this method using standard reference samples.…”