Chemische Charakterisierung und Spurenanalytik
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Due to their toxicity and widespread application for mining and industrial purposes, cyanides are ranking among the most important inorganic pollutants which should be tested and monitored not only in the aquatic environment, but also in soils and soil-like materials. Reference materials of soils with relevant contents of cyanide to ensure reliable test results of laboratories are rare today.
New certified reference material (CRM) BAM-U116/CGL306 “Cyanide in soil” was produced within a framework of cooperation between Central Geological Laboratory (CGL) of Mongolia and Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) of Germany in 2013-2017.
The CRM BAM-U116/CGL306 represents a mixture of a sandy soil collected from a contaminated former gasworks area in the Berlin region (Germany) and an unpolluted sandy soil from Nalaikh region (Mongolia). The bulk candidate material for this reference material was prepared at CGL CRM Laboratory exclusively destined to the preparation of reference materials and equipped with modern technical equipment. Homogeneity, stability and shelf life were studied in full compliance with ISO Guide 35. The CRM was evaluated as sufficiently homogeneous. Statistical evaluation of certification analysis was performed using software packages SoftCRM and ProLab Plus. Certified value of total cyanide of the CRM is 12.0 mg/kg and expanded uncertainty was assigned as 0.8 mg/kg.
The intended purpose of this material is the verification of analytical results obtained for the mass fraction of total cyanide in soils and soil-like materials applying the standardized procedure ISO 11262:2011. As any reference material, it can also be used for routine performance checks (quality control charts) or validation studies.
Statistic process control as well as process capability demand for calibrated determination of layer thicknesses in various industries, e.g. automotive, aerospace, microelectronics manufacturing. Calibration requires well know and well characterized samples. A calibration laboratory accredited according to DIN EN ISO 17025 has the objective to distribute standards traceable to SI units to industrial laboratories for quality control of manufacturing of various products. Especially, the thickness determination of thin metallic coatings e.g. from galvanic processes or layer deposition using X-Ray Fluorescence can be significantly improved by customized calibration samples. This is essential as the measurement uncertainty directly correlates to the capability performing reliable control of processes with high yield. For calibration laboratories, the validation of results using round robins and the direct comparison to national metrology institutes is a prerequisite to demonstrate the competence to perform calibration services.
In this paper a strategy to obtain traceability and validation for thin alloy layers as well as first results are presented. The combined use of the accredited method for determination of mass per area from measurement of mass and area combined with standard free X-Ray Fluorescence as well as chemical analysis of dissolved samples with thin layers is deployed for material systems as NixZn1-x as well as NixP1-x. The obtained results are compared to reference free X-Ray Fluorescence at the BESSY II laboratories of Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt. An excellent agreement of the obtained measured values as mass per unit area and alloy concentrations from the different applied methods within the measurement uncertainty was observed for NixP1-x showing the successful performed traceability of the calibration samples to SI units in combination with a validation of results by national metrology institutes and the round robin approach.
A magnetically stabilized DC arc device, designed for operation with OES spectrometers was used to determine the elements Ag, Al, B, Ba, Be, Ca, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ga, In, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Nb, Ni, Si, Sn, Sr, Ti, V, Zr at trace levels of some μg kg−1 up to some 10 mg kg−1 in graphite powders. The coil for the generation of the homogeneous magnetic field was placed outside the closed arc chamber. The time programs of variable current strengths of the magnetic coil (up to 6 A) and of the arc (up to 17 A) which was burning in air were computer controlled. Halogenating gases (mainly CCl2F2, alternatively SF6 and NF3) were used as chemical modifiers to allow an effective release of the carbide forming trace elements. The mass flow controlled modifier gas was led through a special carrier electrode near the arc plasma. The emission radiation was guided by an optical fiber alternatively into two different ICP spectrometers in which the ICP torches were removed. The synergistic interaction of the magnetic field with the halogenating modifier gases resulted in a significant improvement in the analytical performance of the optimized analytical method. All our results for 22 trace elements were in good agreement with the means of an inter-laboratory comparison by BAM for certification of a pure graphite powder material; this holds also for our results for two other graphite materials. The optimized method showed an analytical performance suitable for comprehensive trace analysis of pure graphite. The instrumentation could be integrated into modern DC arc emission spectrometers to improve their analytical capabilities substantially.
To establish the SI traceability of the element content w(Hg) of a gravimetrically prepared 1 g/kg mercury solution, the latter was compared to a primary reference solution by means of high accuracy inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES) measurements. For this purpose, the ICP OES bracketing method previously described [1] was improved to yield a relative expanded uncertainty of the mercury element content of Urel(w(Hg)) = 0.5 % (with k = 2) associated with the comparison of two monoelemental solutions. In case of mercury, such a small uncertainty was achieved for the first time. Before, in general, such small uncertainties were only reported applying isotope dilution methods performed with MC-ICP-MS. However, for mercury solutions at this concentration range, several dilution steps are necessary to prepare the samples for ID-MC-ICP-MS. The sum of the uncertainty contributions stemming from the dilution steps, as well as the intrinsic difficulties of measuring mercury at low concentrations, result in an overall uncertainty of the ICP-MS measurements, which is comparable to or even larger than those, achieved with the ICP OES method applied. We will present details of the sample preparation as well as of the dedicated ICP OES measurement approach, which were crucial to achieve such a small measurement uncertainty.
The newly developed method was successfully applied in the context of the development and production of elemental solution chemical reference standards (CRS), which are distributed by the EDQM. The CRS are intended to support measurements required by the European Pharmacopoeia, which has recently incorporated a new international guideline for the control of elemental impurities in medicinal products.
Analytical glow discharges with optical (GD-OES) and mass spectrometric (GD-MS) detection are able to obtain depth resolved information about the light elements hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen and oxygen in solid samples, where most of the other analytical techniques fail. However, the interpretation or even quantification of the measured signals is still very challenging. Problems arise due to physical effects (plasma processes such as the ‘Hydrogen effect’, the Doppler effect, self absorption or diffusion of hydrogen in the sample during sputtering) chemical effects(e.g. formation of compounds with argon or the matrix, poisoning of the sample or gettering) as well as instrumental difficulties (e.g. of the sensitivity, calibration and vacuum quality)..
The GD techniques are direct solid sampling methods and require reference materials for calibration. Unfortunately the list of available certified reference materials (CRM) suited for calibration of light elements in different matrix is relatively short Therefore, sintered materials doped with the analytes H2, O2 and N2 were produced at IFW Dresden and applied as calibration standards for hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen. Due to the high analyte concentration added, it is very likely that the real concentration agree well with the added amount of light elements in the corresponding phases. The validation of the determination of the light element concentration in the sintered samples was possible in some cases only due to the lack of suitable techniques. This fact proves the need for the development of a reliable quantification of light elements by GDS.
A systematic dependence of the sputtering rate on the composition was found and can be explained by basic principles.
Using mixtures of TiH2 and ZrH2 with Cu the ratio of hydrogen and Cu lines has a good correlation with the corresponding concentration ratio. The hydrogen emission yield however decreases over 0.3 m% hydrogen and finally the hydrogen intensity may even decrease. This behaviour can be explained by a very similar quenching of the hydrogen and copper intensity caused by the hydrogen effect. First experiments with GD-MS show no saturation of the hydrogen ion current and thus confirm the quenching of the emission yield in GD-OES.
Sintered material for the oxygen calibration (Al2O3, CuO, Cu2O and MgO mixed with Cu, Al and Mg) confirmed the blue line shift effect at O I 130.22 nm, first time reported by Köster 2009 [1]. The effect is more pronounced at Mg than in Al and Cu, which due to line interference leads to a matrix dependent EY. This effect is negligible at O I 777.19 nm and the EY is matrix independent. Using GD-MS first promising results for the calibration of oxygen with these sintered samples could be obtained, when the sputtering rate was included in the evaluation.
More recently also sintered material for nitrogen calibration (AlN mixed with Al and Si3N4 mixed with Cu) was produced and points to a matrix independent emission yield of nitrogen
CRM (Certified Reference Material) BAM-U116/CGL306 “Cyanide in soil” was produced within a framework of cooperation between CGL (Central Geological Laboratory) of Mongolia and Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) of Germany in 2013-2017. The CRM BAM-U116/CGL306 represents a mixture of a sandy soil collected from a contaminated former gasworks area in the Berlin region (Germany) and an unpolluted sandy soil from Nalaikh region (Mongolia).
The bulk candidate material for this reference material was prepared at CGL CRM Laboratory exclusively destined to the preparation of reference materials and equipped with modern technical equipment. Homogeneity, stability and shelf life were studied in full compliance with ISO Guide 35. The CRM was evaluated as sufficiently homogeneous. Statistical evaluation of certification analysis
was software packages SoftCRM and ProLab Plus. Certified value of total cyanide of the CRM is 12.0 mg/kg and expanded uncertainty was assigned as 0.8 mg/kg. The intended purpose of this material is the verification of analytical results obtained for the mass fraction of total cyanide in soils and soil-like materials applying the standardized procedure ISO 11262:2011. As any reference material, it can also be used for routine performance checks (quality control charts) or validation studies.
The analysis of non-metals normally is carried out using elemental analysers which require reference material for calibration. In the lecture the CRM-program of BAM suitable for non-metal-analysis is presented. There are CRMs available with non-metal contents in the low ppm up to the high percent region.
Certification of the mass fractions of trace elements in a medium purity graphite reference material
(2018)
The increasing application of graphite materials in various fields of technology and science enhances the demand for strictly controlled properties which are often directly correlated to the contents of trace element impurities. Therefore, the availability of powerful, rapid and reliable analytical methods for the determination of trace impurities is essential for process and quality control. Certified reference materials, indispensable for the development and validation of appropriate trace analytical methods for the characterization of special purity graphite materials are still lacking. Therefore, BAM in co-operation with the working group “Special Materials” of the committee of chemists of GDMB (Gesellschaft der Metallurgen und Bergleute e.V.) certified an industrially sourced graphite material with genuine elemental impurities.
The candidate material was a commercial product (NBG 18) taken from the customary production line of the producer SGL CARBON, Chedde (France). The homogeneity of the powdered material was assessed by means of ETV-ICP OES and DC Arc-OES. Certification of the candidate reference material was based on an inter-laboratory comparison involving 17 expert laboratories from Germany, France, Slovenia, USA, South Africa. A variety of different mineralization, digestion, leaching, fusion and combustion techniques prior to ICP OES and photometry, methods without sample preparation (INAA, k0-INAA) as well as typical solid sampling methods (ETV-ICP OES, ETV-ICP-MS, SS-ET AAS, DC Arc-OES, MF-DC Arc-OES) were used to characterise the material. Certified mass fractions and their expanded uncertainties (k = 2) were assigned for 27 elements (Al, B, Ba, Be, Ca, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Ni, P, Pb, S, Si, Sr, Ti, V, W, Y, Zn, Zr), ranging from (0.00050 ± 0.00027) mg/kg for Be to (41 ± 6) mg/kg for Si. Additionally, informative values are given for the: trace element contents of Ag, As, Au, Bi, Cd, Cs, Dy, Eu, Ga, Gd, Hg, In, La, Nb, Rb, Re, Rh, Sb, Sc, Se, Sm, Sn, Ta, Tb, Te, Th, U; method specific values obtained by ETV-ICP OES (BETV and SiETV) and the ash content of the material.
The certified material “BAM-S009 Medium Purity Graphite Powder” is available for purchase from BAM.
The analysis of Zinc layers on Iron sheets is one of the most essential application of Glow Discharge - Optical Emission Spectrometry (GD-OES). Since the year 2000 for this application calibration of GD-OES instruments mostly included the set of the six calibration samples CZ 2009-CZ 2014 from CKD. These CRMs are no longer available. Furthermore, in this application the analysis of Al and Mg became essential. To overcome this lack of calibration materials, the working group VDEh FA II.47 decided to organize the production and characterization of a new set of certified reference materials.
The analysis of Zinc layers on Iron sheets is one of the most essential application of Glow Discharge - Optical Emission Spectrometry (GD-OES). Since the year 2000 for this application calibration of GD-OES instruments mostly included the set of the six calibration samples CZ 2009-CZ 2014 from CKD. These CRMs are no longer available. Furthermore, in this application the analysis of Al and Mg became essential. To overcome this lack of calibration materials, the working group VDEh FA II.47 decided to organize the production and characterization of a new set of certified reference materials.
Certification of the mass fractions of trace elements in a medium purity graphite reference material
(2018)
The increasing application of graphite materials in various fields of technology and science enhances the demand for strictly controlled properties which are often directly correlated to the contents of trace element impurities. Therefore, the availability of powerful, rapid and reliable analytical methods for the determination of trace impurities is essential for process and quality control. Certified reference materials, indispensable for the development and validation of appropriate trace analytical methods for the characterization of special purity graphite materials are still lacking. Therefore, BAM in co-operation with the working group “Special Materials” of the committee of chemists of GDMB (Gesellschaft der Metallurgen und Bergleute e.V.) certified an industrially sourced graphite material with genuine elemental impurities.
The candidate material was a commercial product (NBG 18) taken from the customary production line of the producer SGL CARBON, Chedde (France). The homogeneity of the powdered material was assessed by means of ETV-ICP OES and DC Arc-OES. Certification of the candidate reference material was based on an inter-laboratory comparison involving 17 expert laboratories from Germany, France, Slovenia, USA, South Africa. A variety of different mineralization, digestion, leaching, fusion and combustion techniques prior to ICP OES and photometry, methods without sample preparation (INAA, k0-INAA) as well as typical solid sampling methods (ETV-ICP OES, ETV-ICP-MS, SS-ET AAS, DC Arc-OES, MF-DC Arc-OES) were used to characterise the material. Certified mass fractions and their expanded uncertainties (k = 2) were assigned for 27 elements (Al, B, Ba, Be, Ca, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Ni, P, Pb, S, Si, Sr, Ti, V, W, Y, Zn, Zr), ranging from (0.00050 ± 0.00027) mg/kg for Be to (41 ± 6) mg/kg for Si. Informative values are given for further parameters: trace element contents of Ag, As, Au, Bi, Cd, Cs, Dy, Eu, Ga, Gd, Hg, In, La, Nb, Rb, Re, Rh, Sb, Sc, Se, Sm, Sn, Ta, Tb, Te, Th, U; method specific values obtained by ETV-ICP OES (BETV and SiETV) and ash content.
The new certified material is available as BAM Reference Material BAM-S009 Medium Purity Graphite Powder.
Reference materials are essential, when the accuracy and reliability of measurement results need to be guaranteed in order to generate confidence in the analysis.
These materials are frequently used for determining measurement uncertainty, for validation of methods, suitability testing and quality assurance. Especially direct solid sampling methods require reference materials for calibration.
They guarantee that measurement results can be compared to recognized reference values.
This presentation gives an overview about the use of GDMS in various certification procedures. Because it represents a fast, sensitive, multielement analyses technique without extensive sample preparation it plays a special role for the purity determination of high purity standards. Various calibration strategies and the preparation of traceable matrix matched calibration standards will be discussed.
For the certification of analyte content in matrix materials mainly techniques with solvent sample preparation are used. Here GD-MS is used to identify possible loss or contamination with analytes during the sample preparation step. Typically used acids to dissolve matrices lead to interferences in the ICP- mass spectrometric detection of various analytes and their quantification. Here GD-MS as direct method can also add an important contribution in the certification process.
A candidate material for the use as primary standard for nickel determination was characterized with respect to total purity. For element determination a pure material can serve as primary standard. However, real world materials are never absolutely pure, hence the total purity of such materials need to be determined experimentally. A reasonable target uncertainty for the purity statement is 10-4 relative. Usually, the purer the material, the easier it is to achieve this target uncertainty. There are two basic ways in order to be able to establish a total purity statement. One is to determine the main component of a high purity material by a direct method such as coulometry, gravimetry or titrimetry. However, these methods are not selective enough for one element and therefore require certain efforts to analyse the material with respect to impurities with interfering analytes. Moreover, to reach the defined target uncertainty is not easy or often impossible to achieve. The second approach is to determine the sum of all possible impurities (as mass fraction) and to subtract it from the ideal purity of 100 % (1 kg/kg). In principle all impurities (all elements not being the matrix element), metals and non-metals must be considered. In this work both approaches to determine the total purity of the nickel material were followed and compared.
The primary (solid) standards are usually used to prepare primary calibration solutions to which secondary and lower order calibration solutions are linked.
Following fluorinated drugs by molecular absorption spectrometry – from cancer cells to body fluids
(2018)
Fluorine has been widely introduced into pharmaceutical drugs. Due to the high C-F bond strength, a single atom substitution with fluorine produces drastic desirable and tunable changes in the molecular properties. However, the clinical monitoring of these drugs is not straightforward.
Organofluorine compounds are elusive for a non-targeted analysis; a significant problem in fluorine determination is the lack of suitable detection techniques. Standard atomic absorption and emission spectrometers cannot access fluorine, because their resonance lines lie in the VUV spectral range below 100 nm. In the case of conventional inductively coupled argon plasmas (ICP), the plasma energy is too low to generate a significant population of excited fluorine atoms. Recently, our group introduces high-resolution continuum source absorption spectrometry (HR-CS MAS) as a new way for the indirect monitoring of fluorinated compounds. Main benefits of HR-CS-MAS includes low limits of detection, complete analyte recovery, simple to no sample preparation, and short time analysis.
We propose an alternative faster and low-cost optical method for isotope analysis: high-resolution continuum source molecular absorption spectrometry (HR-CS-MAS).
Stable isotope amount composition of X = Li, B, Mg, Ca and Sr were determined by monitoring the absorption spectra of their in situ generated mono-hydrides (XH) in graphite furnace HR-CS-MAS. Isotopes of boron (10B and 11B) were studied via their hydrides for the electronic transition X1Σ+ → A1Π (Fig. 1a). The spectrum of a given sample is a linear combination of the 10BH molecule and its isotopologue 11BH. Therefore, the isotopic composition of samples can be calculated by a partial least square regression (PLS). For this, a spectral library is built by using samples with known isotope composition. Results with an accuracy of 0.15 ‰ are metrologically compatible with those reported by mass spectrometric methods. Similar results are obtained for n isotope systems like Mg (24Mg, 25Mg, and 26Mg), where isotope shifts of their isotopologues can be resolved as shown in Fig.1b. The extension of this methodology to other elements like Li, Ca and Sr is discussed.
Small variations in the isotopic composition of some elements have been used as proof of provenance of mineral and biological samples, to describe geological processes, and to estimate a contamination source. Routinely, isotope compositions are measured by mass spectrometry; the working horse of the isotope analysis. However, mass spectrometric methods are expensive, time-consuming and they require a high qualified analyst.
Here, an alternative faster and low-cost optical method for isotope ratio determination is investigated: high-resolution continuum source molecular absorption spectrometry (HR-CS-MAS). Stable isotope amount composition of X = Li, B, Mg, Ca and Sr have been determined by monitoring the absorption spectra of their in situ generated hydrides (XH) in graphite furnace HR-CS-MAS. For example, the system of two stable isotopes of boron (10B and 11B) was studied via its hydride for the electronic transition X1Σ+ → A1Π (Fig. 1a). The spectrum of a given sample is a linear combination of the 10BH molecule and its isotopologue 11BH. Therefore, isotopic composition of samples and reference materials are calculated by a partial least square regression (PLS). For this, a spectral library is built by using samples with known isotope composition. Results are metrologically compatible with those reported by mass spectrometric methods. [1] Similar results are obtained for n isotope systems like Mg (24Mg, 25Mg, and 26Mg), where isotope shift of their isotopologues can be resolved as shown in Fig.1 b. The extension of this methodology to other elements like Li, Ca and Sr is discussed [2].
References:
[1] C. Abad, S. Florek, H. Becker-Ross, M.-D. Huang, H.-J. Heinrich, S. Recknagel, J. Vogl, N. Jakubowski, U. Panne, Determination of boron isotope ratios by high-resolution continuum source molecular absorption spectrometry using graphite furnace vaporizers, Spectrochim. Acta, Part B, 136 (2017) 116-122.
[2] C. Abad et al., unpublished results, 2018.
Mass spectrometric methods (MC-ICP-MS and TIMS) are without doubt the working horse of stable isotope analysis. However, drawbacks of these methods include the high costs for instruments and their operation, experienced operators and elaborate chromatographic sample preparation which are time consuming.
We propose a lower-cost and faster optical alternative for the analysis of isotope ratios of selected elements: high-resolution continuum source molecular absorption spectrometry (HR-CS-MAS). Stable isotope amount compositions of boron (B) and magnesium (Mg) were determined based on the absorption spectra of in-situ generated mono-hydrides and halide (MH and MX) using graphite furnace HR-CS-MAS. The use of a modular simultaneous echelle spectrograph (MOSES) helps to find the maximal isotope shift in the diatomic molecular spectra produced in a graphite furnace by using isotopic spike solutions. Isotopes of boron (10B and 11B) were studied via their hydrides for the electronic transition X 1Σ+ → A 1Π. The spectrum of a given sample is a linear combination of the 10BH molecule and its isotopologue 11BH. Therefore, the isotopic composition of samples can be calculated by a partial least square regression (PLS). For this, a spectral library was built by using samples and spikes with known isotope composition. Boron isotope ratios measured by HR-CS-MAS are identical with those measured by mass spectrometric methods at the 0.15 ‰ level. Similar results were obtained for a multiple isotope system like Mg (24Mg, 25Mg, and 26Mg), where isotope shifts of their isotopologues can be resolved in the MgF molecule for the electronic transition X 2Σ → A 2 Πi. The extension of this methodology to other elements like Li, Ca, Cu, and Sr is discussed.
The mechanism of action of zirconium permanent modifiers on graphite surfaces was investigated in order to understand its influence on the analytical signal in atomic and molecular absorption spectrometry (AAS/MAS). For this, the molecule formation of CaF was studied, which is used for the indirect analytical determination of fluorine in high-resolution continuum source graphite furnace molecular absorption spectrometry (HR-CS-GFMAS). The kinetics of this reaction was established by monitoring its molecular spectrum at different atomisation temperatures. An Arrhenius plot showed a pseudo-first order reaction with respect to fluorine (n = 1). An intermediate state was isolated, and its structure was elucidated by spectroscopic methods: scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEMEDX), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XANES and EXAFS), and Raman microspectroscopy. We propose here a mechanism, where ZrO2 acts as a heterogeneous catalyst: after a pyrolytic step, an intermediate state of ZrO(OCaF) is activated, and at higher temperatures, CaF(g) is released from the zirconium-coated graphite surface. No evidence of the formation of zirconium carbide was found. Consequently, as the CaF formation is catalysed by a heterogeneous catalyst, surface modifications with ZrO2 nanoparticles and ZrO xerogels were investigated in order to increase the surface area. Their influence was evaluated in the molecule formation of CaF, CaCl, CaBr, and CaI. Graphite furnace modification with zirconium oxide nanoparticles proves to be the best choice for fluorine analysis with a signal enhancement of more than eleven times with respect a non-coated graphite furnace. However, the influence of zirconium modifications in the analytical signals of Cl, and I is lower than the F signals or even negative in case of the Br. Understanding zirconium modifiers as heterogeneous catalysts offers a new perspective to AAS and MAS, and reveals the potential of surface analytical methods for development of improved permanent modifiers and graphite furnace coatings.