Analysis of Seventeen Certified Water Reference Materials for Trace and Technology‐Critical Elements

Abstract

Concentrations of elements in the aquatic environment are a key parameter for various scientific fields such as biogeochemistry, biology and environmental science. Within this context, the scientific community asks for new analytical protocols to be able to quantify more and more elements of the periodic table. Therefore, the requirements for aqueous reference materials have increased drastically. Even though a wide variety of CRMs of different water matrices are available, certified values of many elements (e.g., rare earth elements (REE), technology‐critical elements, such as Ga and In, and generally those elements which are not part of current monitoring regulations) do not yet exist. Therefore, the scientific community relies on published elemental concentrations of many CRMs provided by other researchers. Some elements of interest, such as the REE, are well studied and plenty of literature values exist. However, less studied elements, such as Ga and In, are rarely studied. In this study, an ‘externally’ calibrated quantification method based on an optimised online preconcentration method coupled with ICP‐MS/MS was used for the quantification of thirty‐four elements. The method was applied to seventeen water CRMs covering freshwater, brackish water and seawater. The measured data are combined with a comprehensive literature review on non‐certified values in selected water CRMs, and new consensus values are suggested for various non‐certified elements.

Release of Ammunition-Related Compounds from a Dutch Marine Dump Site

“…The calibration solutions were automatically diluted from two multi-element solutions (1 ng L −1 and 1000 ng L −1 ) via the syringe module of the sea FAST SP2 to minimize possible contaminations and dilution errors of the standards during preparation. For further information on the sea FAST SP2 see Ebeling et al [ 13 ]. The ICP-MS/MS was equipped with s-lenses and operated in single quadrupole mode with He/H 2 (4 mL min −1 and 0.5 mL min −1 , respectively) as cell gases to further minimize interferences.…”

Atomic spectrometry update – a review of advances in environmental analysis

“…To overcome the problem of insoluble uorides formed during an HF digestion, Kagami and Yokoyama 220 adjusted the Ca-Al-Mg composition of the samples prior to digestion in a high-pressure system for the determination of 27 elements, including the HFSEs, by ICP-MS. Whereas mass fractions of Hf, Ti and Zr were determined by an ID method, all other elements were determined by an ID-IS procedure using solutions containing enriched spikes of 91 Zr- 179 Hf or 113 In- 203 Tl as ISs. One drawback of this method was the need to know the Al, Ca and Mg contents of the sample before analysis but the method was considered particularly benecial for the analysis of valuable materials, such as samples returned from space missions, because of the wide range of elements that could be determined on as little as 0.50 mg of material.…”

“…Seventeen water CRMs from NRCC and IRMM were analysed 91 for REEs and technology-critical elements by ICP-MS/MS. The MS instrument was used in combination with a commercial preconcentration-unit fitted with Nobias chelate-PA1® columns.…”

Geostandards and Geoanalytical Research Bibliographic Review 2022

“…Ebeling et al . (2022) have closed this gap with a study providing new consensus values for seventeen water CRMs covering freshwater, brackish water and seawater. They used an improved ICP‐MS/MS method to quantify thirty‐four elements.…”

“…are available Ebeling et al (2022). have closed this gap with a study providing new consensus values for seventeen water CRMs covering freshwater, brackish water and seawater.…”