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Within the Working Group on Inorganic Analysis (IAWG) of the Consultative Committee for Amount of Substance: Metrology in Chemistry and Biology (CCQM) international key comparisons and pilot studies related to inorganic analysis are carried to ensure consistency in this field at the highest level. Some of these comparisons deal directly with the preparation and characterization of monoelemental solutions or with topics, closely related. The importance of monoelemental solutions lies in the fact that almost every measurement in inorganic analysis relies on the comparison with either a reference material, or references in form of solutions, usually (mono)elemental solutions. All quantitative measurement approaches, e.g. isotope dilution or standard addition, need an accurate reference solution made from a well characterized reference material, prepared under full gravimetric control. These primary (monoelemental) solutions do not only serve as arbitrary references/calibration solutions, but they also link up measurement results to the International System of units (SI), this way establishing the so-called metrological traceability to a measurement unit of the SI. Without such solutions on the highest possible level of accuracy and with the smallest possible associated uncertainties (for e.g. element content and/or impurities), an analysis itself can never be as good as it could be with appropriate reference solutions. This article highlights select key comparisons and pilot studies dealing with monoelemental solution related topics within the IAWG from the foundation of CCQM – 25 years ago – up to latest achievements in the field of inorganic analysis.
Lead isotope amount ratios are commonly used in diverse fields such as archaeometry, geochemistry and forensic science. Currently, five reference materials with certified lead isotope amount ratios are available, namely NIST SRM 981, 982 and 983, GBW-04442 and NMIJ 3681-a. Only NIST SRM 981 and NMIJ 3681-a have approximately natural isotopic compositions, and NIST SRM 981 is predominantly used for correcting mass discrimination/mass fractionation in the applied mass spectrometric procedures. Consequently, there is no other certified reference material available to be used for validation and/or quality control of the analytical procedures applied to lead isotope amount ratio measurements. To fill this gap, two new reference materials have been produced and certified for their lead isotope amount ratios. For both certified reference materials, complete uncertainty budgets have been calculated and SI traceability has been established. This provides the users with independent means for validating and verifying their analytical procedures and for conducting quality control measures. ERM-EB400 is a bronze material with a nominal lead mass fraction of 45 mg kg-1 and certified lead isotope amount ratios of n(206Pb)/n(204Pb) = 18.072(17) mol mol-1, n(207Pb)/n(204Pb) = 15.578(18) mol mol-1 and n(208Pb)/n(204Pb) = 38.075(46) mol mol-1 with the associated expanded uncertainties (k = 2) given in brackets. ERM-AE142 is a high-purity solution of lead in 2% nitric acid with a nominal mass fraction of 100 mg kg-1 and certified Pb isotope amount ratios of n(206Pb)/n(204Pb) = 21.114(17) mol mol-1, n(207Pb)/n(204Pb) = 15.944(17) mol mol-1 and n(208Pb)/n(204Pb) = 39.850(44) mol mol-1 with the associated expanded uncertainties (k = 2) given in brackets. Both materials are specifically designed to fall within the natural lead isotopic variation and to assist users with the validation and verification of their analytical procedures. Note that while one of these reference materials requires the chemical separation of Pb from its matrix (ERM-EB400), the other does not (ERM-AE142). As additional information, δ208/206PbNIST SRM981 values are provided for both materials. For ERM-AE142, a delta value of δ208/206PbNIST SRM981 = -28.21(30) ‰ was obtained, and for ERM-EB400, a delta value of δ208/206PbNIST SRM981 = -129.47(38) ‰ was obtained, with the associated expanded uncertainties (k = 2) given in brackets.
ICP-MS has played a key role in inorganic chemical metrology for 25 years, from the 1993 CIPM feasibility study which led to establishment of the CCQM. Since that time, the Inorganic Analysis Working Group of the CCQM has organised 56 international comparisons involving measurements by ICP-MS and, in a recent comparison, 16 different national institutes submitted their results using the technique. Metrological applications of ICP-MS currently address an enormous range of measurements using a wide variety of instrumentation, calibration strategies and methodologies. This review provides an overview of the ICP-MS field with an emphasis on developments which are of particular relevance to chemical metrology.
Examples from CCQM comparisons and the services available from the participants are used to illustrate how the capability and scope of ICP-MS methods have expanded far beyond the expectations of 1993. This is due in part to the research and development Programmes of the national institutes which participate in the CCQM. They have played a key role in advancing new instrumentation and applications for elemental analysis, isotope dilution mass spectrometry, determination of isotopic ratio or composition, and speciation of organometallic compounds. These developments are continuing today, as demonstrated by work in new fields such as heteroatom quantitation of proteins, characterisation and counting of nanoparticles using spICP-MS, and LA-ICP-MS analysis of solid materials.
For the first time, an international comparison was conducted on the determination of the purity of a high purity element. Participants were free to choose any analytical approach appropriate for their institute’s applications and services. The material tested was a high purity zinc, which had earlier been assessed for homogeneity and previously used in CCQM-K72 for the determination of six defined metallic impurities. Either a direct metal assay of the Zn mass fraction was undertaken by EDTA titrimetry, or an indirect approach was used wherein all impurities, or at least the major ones, were determined and their sum subtracted from ideal purity of 100 %, or 1 kg/kg. Impurity assessment techniques included glow discharge mass spectrometry, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and carrier gas hot extraction/combustion analysis. Up to 91 elemental impurities covering metals, non-metals and semi-metals/metalloids were quantified. Due to the lack of internal experience or experimental capabilities, some participants contracted external laboratories for specific analytical tasks, mainly for the analysis of non-metals. The reported purity, expressed as zinc mass fraction in the high purity zinc material, showed excellent agreement for all participants, with a relative standard deviation of 0.011 %. The calculated reference value, w(Zn) = 0.999 873 kg/kg, was assigned an asymmetric combined uncertainty of + 0.000025 kg/kg and – 0.000028 kg/kg. Comparability amongst participating metrology institutes is thus demonstrated for the purity determination of high purity metals which have no particular difficulties with their decomposition / dissolution process when solution-based analytical methods are used, or which do not have specific difficulties when direct analysis approaches are used. Nevertheless, further development is required in terms of uncertainty assessment, quantification of non-metals and the determination of purity of less pure elements and/or for those elements suffering difficulties with the decomposition process.
For the first time, an ab initio calibration for absolute Mg isotope ratios was carried out, without making any a priori assumptions. All quantities influencing the calibration such as the purity of the enriched isotopes or liquid and solid densities were carefully analysed and their associated uncertainties were considered. A second unique aspect was the preparation of three sets of calibration solutions, which were applied to calibrate three multicollector ICPMS instruments by quantifying the correction factors for instrumental mass discrimination. Those fully calibrated mass spectrometers were then used to determine the absolute Mg isotope ratios in three candidate European Reference Materials (ERM)-AE143, -AE144 and -AE145, with ERM-AE143 becoming the new primary isotopic reference material for absolute isotope ratio and delta measurements. The isotope amount ratios of ERM-AE143 are n(25Mg)/n(24Mg) = 0.126590(20) mol/mol and n(26Mg)/n(24Mg) = 0.139362(43) mol/mol, with the resulting isotope amount fractions of x(24Mg) = 0.789920(46) mol/mol, x(25Mg) = 0.099996(14) mol/ mol and x(26Mg) = 0.110085(28) mol/mol and an atomic weight of Ar(Mg) = 24.305017(73); all uncertainties were stated for k = 2. This isotopic composition is identical within uncertainties to those stated on the NIST SRM 980 certificate. The candidate materials ERM-AE144 and -AE145 are isotopically lighter than ERM-AE143 by 1.6 ‰ and 1.3 ‰, respectively, concerning their n(26Mg)/n(24Mg) ratio. The relative combined standard uncertainties are ≤0.1 ‰ for the isotope ratio n(25Mg)/n(24Mg) and ≤0.15 ‰ for the isotope ratio n(26Mg)/ n(24Mg). In addition to characterizing the new isotopic reference materials, it was demonstrated that commonly used fractionation laws are invalid for correcting Mg isotope ratios in multicollector ICPMS as they result in a bias which is not covered by its associated uncertainty. Depending on their type, fractionation laws create a bias up to several per mil, with the exponential law showing the smallest bias between 0.1 ‰ and 0.7 ‰.
We report an appropriate preparation of binary isotope calibration mixtures of the three stable isotopes of magnesium to be used in the ab initio calibration of multicollector mass spectrometers (ICPMS and TIMS). For each of the three possible combinations of binary mixtures ("24Mg" + "25Mg", "24Mg" + "26Mg", and "25Mg" + "26Mg"), three individual setups have been prepared under gravimetric control, each of them with an isotope ratio close to unity, and a total magnesium mass fraction close to 20 mg kg-1. The preparation was designed to occur via an intermediate dilution of a parent solution of a highly purified specimen of the isotopically enriched magnesium materials. For the application as calibration mixtures, a complete uncertainty budget was set up, and is presented and discussed in detail, including the aspects that went into the design of the dilution and mixing approach to minimize uncertainty. The principle parameters for the purpose of the later calibration of the mass spectrometers are the absolute masses of isotopically enriched magnesium materials in the primary calibration mixtures. For the first time relative expanded uncertainties U (k = 2) for these masses of ≤0.005% could be achieved for all mixtures.
Gravimetrically prepared mono-elemental reference solutions having a well-known mass fraction of approximately 1 g/kg (or a mass concentration of 1 g/L) define the very basis of virtually all measurements in inorganic analysis. Serving as the starting materials of all standard/calibration solutions, they link virtually all measurements of inorganic analytes (regardless of the method applied) to the purity of the solid materials (high-purity metals or salts) they were prepared from. In case these solid materials are characterized comprehensively with respect to their purity, this link also establishes direct metrological traceability to The International System of Units (SI). This, in turn, ensures the comparability of all results on the highest level achievable. Several national metrology institutes (NMIs) and designated institutes (DIs) have been working for nearly two decades in close cooperation with commercial producers on making an increasing number of traceable reference solutions available. Besides the comprehensive characterization of the solid starting materials, dissolving them both loss-free and completely under strict gravimetric control is a challenging problem in the case of several elements like molybdenum and rhodium. Within the framework of the European Metrology Research Programme (EMRP), in the Joint Research Project (JRP) called SIB09 Primary standards for challenging elements, reference solutions of molybdenum and rhodium were prepared directly from the respective metals with a relative expanded uncertainty associated with the mass fraction of Urel(w)<0.05 %. To achieve this, a microwave-assisted digestion procedure for Rh and a hotplate digestion procedure for Mo were developed along with highly accurate and precise inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES) and multicollector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS) methods required to assist with the preparation and as dissemination tools.
The major source of the anthropogenic platinum group element (PGE) emission is attributed to the use of catalytic converters in automobiles. This paper describes the work performed by three National Metrology Institutes (Laboratoire national de métrologie et dessais, by the Physikalisch-technische bundesanstalt, Bundesanatalt für materialforschung und prûfung), in the framework of the Joint Research Project 'PartEmission' under the European Metrology Research Program. An analytical procedure based on a cationic exchange protocol and the isotope dilution or standard addition using an Inductived Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer, ICP-MS, for the quantification of the elements Pt, Pd and Rh from automotive exhaust emissions is described. Results obtained on a road dust certified reference (BCR 723) material showed a good agreement with the certified values, at ng/g levels, and relative expanded uncertainties within the range of 7–10%. Analysis of filters impacted with automotive exhaust particle emissions (from a diesel engine) showed the amount of collected PGE at levels of 10–1000 pg/filter. Their quantifications followed the developed analytical protocol that had been carried out with relative expanded uncertainties in the range of a few per cent up to 20% per filter. Nevertheless, a lack of homogeneity between the filters was observed, making the comparison between the project partners difficult in the sake of the validation of their analytical procedures on real samples.
A two-step separation procedure for the quantification of Pd and Pt in automotive exhaust emissions using isotope dilution mass spectrometry was established using a combination of cation and anion exchange chemistry. AG 50W-X12 was used as cation exchange resin and DGA as weakly basic anion exchange resin. This procedure enabled the effective separation of Pd and Pt from the matrix and from interfering elements. Additionally Pd and Pt were collected in separate chromatographic fractions, which increased the precision of the isotope ratio determination by separate measurements using single collector sector field ICPMS. The analytical procedure was validated by analysing the synthetically prepared samples and the certified reference materials BCR-723 (road dust) and IAEA-450 (algae). For the SI-traceable results complete uncertainty budgets were calculated yielding relatively expanded uncertainties (k = 2) of ≈1% for analyte masses in the ng range. Procedure blanks of 55 pg Pd and 3 pg Pt were obtained. The detection limits were calculated as 12 pg for Pd and 7 pg for Pt. Additionally, Pd and Pt blank levels of different filter materials are presented as well as the first results for automotive exhaust particles collected on cellulose filters.