Sulfur Concentration in Geochemical Reference Materials by Solution Inductively Coupled Plasma‐Mass Spectrometry

Abstract

With implications for the origin of ore deposits, redox state of the atmosphere, and effects of volcanic outgassing, understanding the sulfur cycle is vital to our investigation of Earth processes. However, the paucity of sulfur concentration measurements in silicate rocks and the lack of well-calibrated reference materials with concentrations relevant to the rocks of interest have hindered such investigations. To aid in this endeavour, this study details a new method to determine sulfur concentration via high mass resolution solution inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The method is based on an aqua regia leach, involving relatively rapid sample preparation and analysis, and uses small test portion masses (< 50 mg). We utilised two independently prepared standard solutions to calibrate the analyses, resulting in 4% accuracy, and applied the method to eight geochemical reference materials. Measurements were reproducible to within~10%. Sulfur concentrations and isotopes of six reference materials were measured additionally by elemental analysercombustion-isotope ratio mass spectrometry to independently evaluate the accuracy of the ICP-MS method. Reference materials that yielded reproducible measurements identical to published values from other laboratories (JGb-1, JGb-2 and MAG-1) are considered useful materials for the measurement of sulfur. Reference materials that varied between studies but were reproducible for a given test portion perhaps suffer from sample heterogeneity and are not recommended as sulfur reference materials.

Abundances of Sulfur, Selenium, Tellurium, Rhenium and Platinum‐Group Elements in Eighteen Reference Materials by Isotope Dilution Sector‐Field ICP‐MS and Negative TIMS

“…Sulfur data for two BHVO‐1 duplicates in this study yielded precise results of 83 μg g −1 , about 10–15% lower than an earlier compiled value (102 μg g −1 , Govindaraju ) and ID‐ICP‐MS data (93 μg g −1 , Makishima and Nakamura ), but noticeably higher than results of 47 μg g −1 and 54 μg g −1 obtained by combustion elemental analyser and ICP‐MS, respectively (Erdman et al . ).…”

New bulk sulfur measurements of Martian meteorites and modeling the fate of sulfur during melting and crystallization – Implications for sulfur transfer from Martian mantle to crust–atmosphere system

“…To check the accuracy of the sulfur analyses, several terrestrial rock standards including one basalt (United States Geological Survey, BHVO-2), one gabbro (Japanese Geological Survey, JGb-1) and one marine mud (United States Geological Survey, MAG-1) were run as external standards in the same sequence. The limit of detection on sulfur ranges from 40 to 90 ppm, determined by the instrumental detection limit in solution and the dilution factor (Erdman et al, 2014).…”

“…Bulk S contents of 7 Martian meteorites (the shergottites Los Angeles, Zagami, NWA 856, NWA 1068, and Tissint, and the nakhlites NWA 998 and Nakhla) were measured using high massresolution solution ICP-MS following the method in Erdman et al (2014). Interior chips of each of these Martian meteorites were obtained from the meteorite collection in the Center for Meteorite Studies at Arizona State University.…”

“…In this study we measured bulk S contents of 7 Martian meteorites using solution ICP-MS (Erdman et al, 2014) and discuss the bulk sulfur data of meteorites from this study and those from literature by modeling the fate of S during fractional crystallization of Martian magmas and the fate of sulfide during mantle partial melting. By comparing bulk S data of Martian meteorites to the modeling results, we estimate the plausible S budgets of the Martian mantle, crust, and atmosphere.…”

Determination of Sulfur in Grape and Apricot Samples Using High-resolution Continuum Source Electrothermal Molecular Absorption Spectrometry

“…In order to determine the concentrations of sulfur and its compounds in the real samples, various analytical detection techniques have been employed, such as the gravimetric, 10,11 UV-Vis spectrometry, 12 inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), 13,14 inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), [15][16][17] gas chromatography (GC), 18,19 X-ray fluorescence (XRF), 20,21 and laser-induced breakdown spectrometry. 22 Each technique has different drawbacks, such as high cost, time consumption, and poor precision, accuracy and selectivity.…”