Determination of ultra-trace Au, Ag, As, Pt and Re mass fractions in volcanic glasses and rock powders by LA-ICP-MS
Determination of ultra-trace Au, Ag, As, Pt and Re mass fractions in volcanic glasses and rock powders by LA-ICP-MS
Practical methods for determining the ultra-trace abundances of precious metals in geological materials are needed for research into magmatic and hydrothermal processes and to expand the geochemical footprints of concealed ore deposits. This study presents a new protocol for determining Au, Ag, As, Pt and Re mass fractions in both volcanic glasses and in rock powders prepared as nano-powder pellets, through the synthesis and refinement of published LA-ICP-MS methods. This matrix flexibility allows the method and its limitations to be rigorously assessed for the first time using different volcanic materials. High-yield laser parameters, interference corrections and low oxide production rates facilitated by laser ablation sampling enabled accurate measurements without chemical pre-separation. A key finding is that ablation-remobilised system contamination must be quantified and corrected to make accurate ng g−1-level Au determinations by LA-ICP-MS, resulting in a mean + 2s quantification limit for Au of 0.38 ng g−1. This approach is likely necessary for other ultra-trace LA-ICP-MS analyses of certain elements. Following this correction, the protocol can be usefully applied to both in situ analysis of volcanic materials and efficiently integrated into methods for the determination of major and trace elements in nano-powder pellets.
LA-ICP-MS, PGE, arsenic, gold, nano-pellet, silver
621-644
Belgrano, Thomas M.
6135b1b8-ca0f-41a6-a94a-6b6c3513dee3
Milton, James A.
9e183221-d0d4-4ddb-aeba-0fdde9d31230
Teagle, Damon A. H.
396539c5-acbe-4dfa-bb9b-94af878fe286
December 2022
Belgrano, Thomas M.
6135b1b8-ca0f-41a6-a94a-6b6c3513dee3
Milton, James A.
9e183221-d0d4-4ddb-aeba-0fdde9d31230
Teagle, Damon A. H.
396539c5-acbe-4dfa-bb9b-94af878fe286
Belgrano, Thomas M., Milton, James A. and Teagle, Damon A. H.
(2022)
Determination of ultra-trace Au, Ag, As, Pt and Re mass fractions in volcanic glasses and rock powders by LA-ICP-MS.
Geostandards and Geoanalytical Research, 46 (4), .
(doi:10.1111/ggr.12452).
Abstract
Practical methods for determining the ultra-trace abundances of precious metals in geological materials are needed for research into magmatic and hydrothermal processes and to expand the geochemical footprints of concealed ore deposits. This study presents a new protocol for determining Au, Ag, As, Pt and Re mass fractions in both volcanic glasses and in rock powders prepared as nano-powder pellets, through the synthesis and refinement of published LA-ICP-MS methods. This matrix flexibility allows the method and its limitations to be rigorously assessed for the first time using different volcanic materials. High-yield laser parameters, interference corrections and low oxide production rates facilitated by laser ablation sampling enabled accurate measurements without chemical pre-separation. A key finding is that ablation-remobilised system contamination must be quantified and corrected to make accurate ng g−1-level Au determinations by LA-ICP-MS, resulting in a mean + 2s quantification limit for Au of 0.38 ng g−1. This approach is likely necessary for other ultra-trace LA-ICP-MS analyses of certain elements. Following this correction, the protocol can be usefully applied to both in situ analysis of volcanic materials and efficiently integrated into methods for the determination of major and trace elements in nano-powder pellets.
Text
Geostandard Geoanalytic Res - 2022 - Belgrano - Determination of Ultra‐Trace Au Ag As Pt and Re Mass Fractions in
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More information
Accepted/In Press date: 7 July 2022
Published date: December 2022
Additional Information:
Funding Information:
We are grateful to Rex Taylor for providing the Reykjanes Ridge glasses. We also thank Robin Wolf and Thomas Pettke for their assistance wet milling the powders at the University of Bern. Thomas Pettke, Dieter Garbe‐Schönberg, Barbara Kunz and Frances Jenner provided helpful advice at different stages of the study. The comments of two anonymous reviewers and handling editor Sarah Gilbert greatly improved the manuscript and were much appreciated. This research was supported by Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) grant no. P2BEP2‐191795 to T. M. Belgrano, UKRI Grant. No. EP/T011548/1 to J.A. Milton and the Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute, University of Southampton.
Funding Information:
We are grateful to Rex Taylor for providing the Reykjanes Ridge glasses. We also thank Robin Wolf and Thomas Pettke for their assistance wet milling the powders at the University of Bern. Thomas Pettke, Dieter Garbe-Schönberg, Barbara Kunz and Frances Jenner provided helpful advice at different stages of the study. The comments of two anonymous reviewers and handling editor Sarah Gilbert greatly improved the manuscript and were much appreciated. This research was supported by Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) grant no. P2BEP2-191795 to T. M. Belgrano, UKRI Grant. No. EP/T011548/1 to J.A. Milton and the Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute, University of Southampton.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Authors. Geostandards and Geoanalytical Research published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of the International Association of Geoanalysts.
Keywords:
LA-ICP-MS, PGE, arsenic, gold, nano-pellet, silver
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 471049
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/471049
ISSN: 1639-4488
PURE UUID: c8385ace-33c6-40b0-8f6a-50e626375cd6
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Date deposited: 25 Oct 2022 16:34
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 02:50
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