Multielemental inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry analysis of nickeliferous minerals

Elizabet Abad-Peña; María Teresa Larrea-Marín; Margarita Edelia Villanueva-Tagle; Mario Simeón Pomares-Alfonso

doi:10.1016/j.talanta.2014.01.066

Multielemental inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry analysis of nickeliferous minerals

Talanta. 2014 Jun:124:79-88. doi: 10.1016/j.talanta.2014.01.066. Epub 2014 Feb 11.

Authors

Elizabet Abad-Peña¹, María Teresa Larrea-Marín², Margarita Edelia Villanueva-Tagle³, Mario Simeón Pomares-Alfonso⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Oriente, Avenida Patricio Lumumba s/n, CP 90500, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba. Electronic address: elizabet@cnt.uo.edu.cu.
² National Center of Metallurgical Researches (CENIM, CSIC), Avenida Gregorio del Amo, 8, 28040 Madrid, Spain. Electronic address: m.larrea@cenim.csic.es.
³ Faculty of Chemistry, University of Havana, Calle Zapata s/n entre G y Mazón, Vedado, CP 10400, Havana, Cuba. Electronic address: villa@fq.uh.cu.
⁴ Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), University of Havana, Calle Zapata s/n entre G y Mazón, Vedado, CP 10400, Havana, Cuba. Electronic address: mpomares@imre.oc.uh.cu.

PMID: 24767449
DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2014.01.066

Abstract

An inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry method for the quantitative simultaneous determination of Al, Ca, Co, Cu, Cr, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, P and Zn in Cuban laterite and serpentine minerals has been developed. Additionally, V and Ti can be quantitatively determined in laterite mineral; Li, Sr, and Zr can be detected in both mineral types and Pb can be detected just in laterite mineral. The microwave-assisted total acid digestion of samples was achieved with HCl+HNO3+HF and HNO3+HClO4+HF acid mixtures for laterite and serpentine samples, respectively. In non-robust plasma operating conditions, the matrix effect characteristics of the laterite sample were dictated by the principal component Fe; while the character of the Mg principal component matrix effect was some how modified by the concomitants Fe and Ni in serpentine sample. The selection of robust conditions decreased the matrix effect. Additionally, the simulation of the matrix samples by introducing the principal component Fe or Mg, correspondingly, in calibration dissolutions was needed to overcome completely the matrix effect over the analysis accuracy. Precision of analysis was very near or lower than 10% for most elements, except Sr (15%) in L-1; and K (15%) and Li (15%) in SNi sample. Accuracy of analysis was around or lowers than 10% for most elements, except K (15%), Na (19%), P (19%) and V (19%) in L-1 sample; and Ca (14%) and P (20%) in SNi sample.

Keywords: ICP OES; Matrix effect; Matrix-matching calibration; Microwave-assisted digestion; Nickeliferous mineral; Robust plasma.