Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry最新文献

{"title":"An in situ pre-concentration method of mercury based on solid phase extraction technology and its application in seawater mercury isotope analysis","authors":"Shuyuan Huang, Kunning Lin, Qinglin Zhang, Hongzhe Chen, Jinling Pang, Yuanbiao Zhang and Ping Zhang","doi":"10.1039/D6JA00016A","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D6JA00016A","url":null,"abstract":"<p >This study developed an <em>in situ</em> pre-enrichment method based on solid-phase extraction technology for the efficient enrichment and isotope analysis of ultra-low concentration dissolved mercury (&lt;1 ng L<small>⁻¹</small>) in seawater. By optimizing key parameters such as sample flow rate (20 mL min<small>⁻¹</small>), eluent volume (6 mL), and concentration (50% hydrochloric acid), and by incorporating an improved cold vapor generator and four-way valve design, the method significantly enhanced mercury recovery and isotope analysis efficiency. Method validation showed that the <em>δ</em><small>²⁰²</small>Hg (−0.57 ± 0.07‰, 1SD) and <em>Δ</em><small>¹⁹⁹</small>Hg (−0.01 ± 0.06‰, 1SD) measurements of the NIST RM 8610 standard material were highly consistent with literature values, confirming that the pretreatment process did not introduce significant isotope fractionation. The method was applied to seawater samples in the central South China Sea, revealing an overall pattern of dissolved mercury isotope composition: negative <em>δ</em><small>²⁰²</small>Hg and slightly positive <em>Δ</em><small>¹⁹⁹</small>Hg, reflecting the combined effects of photochemical reduction and biological processes. The strong light environment in the low-latitude South China Sea results in higher <em>Δ</em><small>¹⁹⁹</small>Hg values in seawater. Additionally, the negative correlation between <em>δ</em><small>²⁰²</small>Hg and 1/Hg might reflect the differential contributions of terrestrial input and atmospheric deposition. However, given the complexity of Hg isotope fractionation and the current limitations in characterizing endmember isotopic compositions, this interpretation remains preliminary and highlights an area for future research. This study provides a highly sensitive analytical method for studying the marine mercury cycle and offers new isotope evidence for understanding the biogeochemical behavior of mercury.</p>","PeriodicalId":81,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry","volume":" 4","pages":" 1440-1448"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147686518","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Improved defocus stability in laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy via microlens array beam homogenization","authors":"Zixuan Li, Xuechen Niu, Xinrui Pan, Wei Guo, Chen Niu and Lianbo Guo","doi":"10.1039/D5JA00441A","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5JA00441A","url":null,"abstract":"<p >The significant signal fluctuation in laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) severely limits its quantitative analysis accuracy. Although beam homogenization has proven effective in mitigating these fluctuations by producing uniform ablation conditions, conventional diffractive optical elements (DOEs) are constrained by their requirement for single-transverse-mode lasers and exhibit strong sensitivity to defocus, restricting their applicability in practical LIBS environments. To address these limitations, we propose a beam homogenization strategy using a microlens array (MLA). We demonstrate that the MLA efficiently transforms a multimode laser beam (<em>M</em><small>²</small> = 5) into a top-hat-like profile with a periodic array distribution, thereby redistributing energy more uniformly across the focal region. This transformation suppresses air breakdown caused by localized energy concentration at the focus. Plasma imaging confirms the suppression of air breakdown and reveals highly symmetric plasma evolution within both positive and negative defocus ranges. As a result, the depth of focus (DOF) is extended from 3–3.25 mm to 7 mm, leading to improved defocus tolerance and enhanced spectral stability. In inclined surface scanning experiments on micro-alloyed steel, this DOF extension reduced the spectral signal's relative standard deviation (RSD) from 35–50% to around 20%, while increasing the signal intensity by a factor of 1.2 to 2. Furthermore, in calibration experiments simulating surface undulations under varying defocus distances, the root mean square error (RMSE) for Cu I 324.75 nm was substantially reduced from 1.836% to 0.687%. These results confirm that MLA-based beam homogenization is a robust, mode-insensitive, and highly effective solution for significantly improving the reliability and quantitative accuracy of LIBS on uneven surfaces.</p>","PeriodicalId":81,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry","volume":" 4","pages":" 1411-1419"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147686507","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Determination of REEs in permanent magnets and their production chain using ICP-MS","authors":"Laura Suárez-Criado, Cyril Rado, Delphine Losno and Frank Vanhaecke","doi":"10.1039/D5JA00513B","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5JA00513B","url":null,"abstract":"<p >This paper presents the development, optimization and use of a method for the determination of the rare earth elements (REEs) in Nd–Fe–B permanent magnets and samples from their production chain. This analytical method was developed for the purpose of contributing to the transparency, traceability, and sustainability of complex supply chains of critical raw materials, such as REEs. The approach developed combines acid extraction of the REEs, chromatographic separation using commercially available AG® MP-1M anionic resin and LN specific resin (100–150 µm) and ICP-MS analysis for their subsequent quantitative determination. Physical separation (chromatography) proved essential to overcome interference from polyatomic ions, enabling accurate quantification despite the occurrence of oxide and hydroxide ions of heavier REEs otherwise interfering with the determination of some lighter REEs due to unfavorable elemental ratios. The high iron content of magnet samples negatively affected the elution profile of light REEs from LN specific resin, necessitating prior Fe removal using AG® MP-1M resin. The reliability of the method was evaluated using the USGS BHVO-2 reference material. Distinct REE patterns were observed among magnet samples, while samples from the production chain showed some small variations only.</p>","PeriodicalId":81,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry","volume":" 5","pages":" 1675-1688"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/ja/d5ja00513b?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147872209","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"HCl-selective ionization reactions for improved Cl detection robustness in post-inductively coupled plasma chemical ionization","authors":"Zahra Afsharsaveh and Kaveh Jorabchi","doi":"10.1039/D5JA00483G","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D5JA00483G","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Halogen detection, especially in a multielement fashion and with liquid chromatography, is challenging because of the fundamental limitations of ionization in inductively coupled plasma (ICP) mass spectrometry. Post-plasma ionization alleviates these limitations. For Cl detection, plasma-assisted HCl formation followed by chemical ionization using barium-containing reagent ions has been reported, yielding BaCl<small>⁺</small> and offering simultaneous detection with other halogens (<em>e.g.</em> F detection using BaF<small>⁺</small>). However, the broad reactivity of barium-based ionization also makes it susceptible to interference from other plasma-generated species, increasing the potential for ionization suppression, sensitivity loss, and elevated matrix effects. Here, we report the development of HCl-selective post-plasma ionization reactions to improve ionization robustness and matrix tolerance in Cl detection. We evaluate a series of metal ions (M) with aqueous-phase affinity for chloride to determine their potential to form MCl(NO<small>₃</small>)<small>_<em>n</em></small><small>⁺</small> (<em>n</em> = 0–1) in the post-ICP region. We show that metal ions follow the order Pb<small>²⁺</small>, Bi<small>³⁺</small>, Cd<small>²⁺</small> &gt; In<small>³⁺</small> &gt; Zn<small>²⁺</small>, Fe<small>³⁺</small> &gt;&gt; Ba<small>²⁺</small> in terms of propensity of their reagent ions to react with HCl in the presence of interfering plasma products such as HNO<small>₃</small> and HNO<small>₂</small>. Among the metal ions, Pb<small>²⁺</small> also offers the highest sensitivity for Cl detection because of efficient reagent ion generation by electrospray ionization. The robustness of PbCl<small>⁺</small> detection is also tested in P-containing matrices, revealing a 5-fold improvement relative to that with BaCl<small>⁺</small> and further confirming improved matrix tolerance due to more selective ionization reactions. These studies offer fundamental insights and pave the way towards robust multielement methods for halogen detection in speciation analyses.</p>","PeriodicalId":81,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry","volume":" 5","pages":" 1701-1712"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13006787/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147507989","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Characterization of a new zircon reference material (TGZ) with substantial reserve for in situ U-Pb and Hf-O isotope analysis","authors":"Jun Wang, Tao Luo, Xirun Tong, James Crowley, Chenxi Zhang, Wen Zhang, Xiaodong Deng and Zhaochu Hu","doi":"10.1039/D5JA00508F","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5JA00508F","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Zircon U-Pb ages and Hf-O isotopic compositions provide complementary constraints on crustal evolution and magmatic processes. Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) have become critical techniques for high-spatial-resolution U-Pb dating and Hf-O isotopic analyses. Matrix-matched reference materials are prerequisites for obtaining accurate and precise results during <em>in situ</em> zircon U-Pb and Hf-O isotopic analyses. Although numerous reference materials have been reported, those with substantial reserves and ready availability remain scarce. In this study, the new zircon megacrysts (TGZ) with a total weight of 1.5 kg were evaluated as a new reference material for <em>in situ</em> U-Pb and Hf-O isotope analyses. The mean U, Th, Pb, and Hf mass fractions for TGZ zircon were 98.9 ± 40.8 µg g<small>⁻¹</small> (2SD), 24.4 ± 10.4 µg g<small>⁻¹</small> (2SD), 36.0 ± 15.0 µg g<small>⁻¹</small> (2SD), and 13 264 ± 3226 µg g<small>⁻¹</small> (2SD), respectively. U-Pb, on being analyzed with chemical abrasion-isotope dilution-thermal ionization mass spectrometry (CA-ID-TIMS), yielded Th-corrected weighted mean <small>²⁰⁶</small>Pb/<small>²³⁸</small>U and <small>²⁰⁷</small>Pb/<small>²⁰⁶</small>Pb ratios of 0.091052 ± 0.000018 (2<em>s</em>, MSWD = 2.4, and <em>n</em> = 6) and 0.058921 ± 0.000023 (2<em>s</em>, MSWD = 4.8, and <em>n</em> = 6), respectively. The Th-corrected weighted mean <small>²⁰⁶</small>Pb/<small>²³⁸</small>U date of TGZ was 561.76 ± 0.63 Ma (95% conf., <em>n</em> = 6, and MSWD = 2.5), which is recommended as the reference date of the TGZ zircon. The results from three independent laser ablation laboratories yielded a weighted average <small>²⁰⁶</small>Pb/<small>²³⁸</small>U date of 560.5 ± 0.6/11.2 Ma (2<em>s</em>, MSWD = 0.53, and <em>n</em> = 328), confirming the U-Pb isotopic homogeneity in TGZ. The <small>¹⁷⁶</small>Hf/<small>¹⁷⁷</small>Hf ratio of the TGZ zircon was 0.281915 ± 0.000007 (2SD and <em>n</em> = 18) from solution-based analysis. Extensive LA measurements from two independent laboratories yielded a mean <small>¹⁷⁶</small>Hf/<small>¹⁷⁷</small>Hf ratio of 0.281919 ± 0.000033 (2SD and <em>n</em> = 366) in good agreement with the solution-based value obtained within the analytical uncertainty. The obtained <em>δ</em><small>¹⁸</small>O values were 7.10‰ ± 0.14‰ (2SD and <em>n</em> = 11) and 6.95‰ ± 0.33‰ (2SD and <em>n</em> = 39) from laser fluorination and SIMS analysis. We propose TGZ zircon as a new reference material for microbeam U-Th-Pb geochronology and Hf-O isotopic analyses, given its homogeneous U-Pb dates and Hf-O isotopic compositions, substantial reserve, and ready availability.</p>","PeriodicalId":81,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry","volume":" 4","pages":" 1517-1527"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147686515","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Determination of ultra-trace elements and Sr–Nd isotope ratios in ultramafic rocks combined with a tandem column of SR and TODGA resins","authors":"Qishuai Huang, Shouqian Zhao and Yali Sun","doi":"10.1039/D5JA00437C","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5JA00437C","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Determining rare earth elements (REEs) and Sr–Nd isotope ratios at low abundance levels in ultramafic rocks remains a significant challenge. This study presents a simplified method for the separation of trace multi-elements using a tandem column of SR-TODGA resin combination, and thereby the elements at very low levels and <small>⁸⁷</small>Sr/<small>⁸⁶</small>Sr and <small>¹⁴³</small>Nd/<small>¹⁴⁴</small>Nd ratios in ultramafic rocks were determined by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS). The samples were digested using HF-HNO<small>₃</small> and prepared as HNO<small>₃</small>-H<small>₃</small>BO<small>₃</small> solutions. After loading the sample solutions onto the tandem column, Sr was eluted from the SR resin column using 10 mL of 0.045 M HNO<small>₃</small>. The TODGA column was eluted sequentially with 10 mL of 0.45 M HNO<small>₃</small> and 1.4 M HF for Zr, Hf, Th and U, 7 mL of 2.1 M HCl for La, Ce and Pr, 5 mL of 1.5 M HCl for Nd, and 10 mL of 0.06 M H<small>₂</small>SO<small>₄</small> for other REEs (Sm–Lu and Y). The procedural recovery yields were evaluated by adding standards, and they ranged from 97.3% for La to 103.9% for Th. The blank values range from 0.01 ng (Ho, Tm and Lu) to 24.4 ng (Sr). Eight ultramafic reference materials, JP-1, DTS-2b, UB-N, MUH-1, SARM-6, Harz01, DZΣ-1 and DZΣ-2, were analyzed, and the analytical results exhibit good agreement with certified and literature values. Therefore, the proposed method can be applied to accurately analyze both the contents of multi-elements at very low levels and Sr–Nd isotopic ratios in ultramafic rocks.</p>","PeriodicalId":81,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry","volume":" 5","pages":" 1630-1640"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147872205","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Rapid identification of spent lithium-ion battery black powder types using handheld LIBS and interpretable MobileNet models","authors":"Nan Chen, Zhaohua Zou, Zixun Luo, Xin Li, Qing Fu and Jianxiong Dai","doi":"10.1039/D6JA00055J","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D6JA00055J","url":null,"abstract":"<p >The black powder obtained by mechanically crushing and screening spent lithium-ion batteries serves as the primary raw material for the lithium-ion battery recycling industry. Rapid and accurate identification of different types of lithium-ion battery black powder is crucial for assessing their value and selecting appropriate recycling processes. This study employed handheld laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) to collect spectral data from nine common types of lithium-ion battery black powder and evaluate the effectiveness of three data preprocessing methods, standard normal variable transformation (SNV), extended multiplicative scattering correction (EMSC), and Savitzky–Golay (SG) filtering, to improve spectral data quality. Subsequently, a lightweight MobileNet model suitable for embedded systems was developed for identifying and predicting the nine common categories of lithium-ion battery black powder, and its performance was compared with that of mainstream Residual Network (ResNet) and Transformer deep learning models. Ultimately, SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) analysis was employed to evaluate the potential contribution of different input feature wavelengths to the prediction results, providing clear explanations for the decisions made by the model. The results demonstrate that MobileNet achieves accurate black powder classification while maintaining embedded system compatibility, with an average recognition accuracy of 99.67%. The proposed method exhibits significant application potential in the circular economy of the lithium-ion battery industry.</p>","PeriodicalId":81,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry","volume":" 4","pages":" 1492-1504"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147686523","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Atomic spectrometry update: review of advances in the analysis of clinical and biological materials, foods and beverages","authors":"Marina Patriarca, James P. C. Coverdale, Alan Cross, Montserrat González-Estecha, Sarah Hill, David Milde and Julian Tyson","doi":"10.1039/D6JA90007K","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D6JA90007K","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p &gt;In this Update period, there were no important developments for AAS, whereas, for OES, options such as alternative excitation sources and miniaturisation were investigated. The multielement capabilities and low detection limits of ICP-MS continued to attract the attention of most users and this was also the technique of choice for developments in pharmaceutical and dietary supplement analysis. Sustained interest was observed for spICP-MS and scICP-MS applications, focussing on sample preparation and introduction, calibration strategies and approaches to interference removal. The ability of LIBS to measure molecular species was exploited to develop an isotope dilution analysis method for the detection of Ca in tap water and milk powder and to tackle bacterial detection in urine. Numerous examples of EDXRF applications were reported including a systematic evaluation of the next generation of portable monochromatic excitation EDXRF systems for the analysis of food, plant and biological CRMs. Both XRF and LA-ICP-MS play a key role to identify element spatial distribution in cancer tissues. Several papers addressed correction and quality control approaches for tissue imaging. Beside instrumental improvements, a substantial number of publications reported digestion, extraction and preconcentration procedures, mostly applied to food. Vapour generation procedures and AFS were employed by several researchers to obtain better detection limits for both elements and their species in various biological matrices. Measurements of nanoparticles, as well as their application for extraction or preconcentration of chemical elements, are now widespread and the relevant developments are dealt with in the analytical technique or application sections, rather than in a separate section. Following the trend seen in previous years, the application of atomic spectrometry to the indirect measurement of complex molecules continued and expanded from research in the clinical area to the detection of pathogens in food. An approach, based on reaction cell chemistry, enabled the determination of volatile organic compounds by ICP-MS. Multielement applications to clinical samples with improved detection limits were reported. A few studies revisited the use of more accessible specimens, such as dried blood spots and samples from the respiratory tract or from biobanks. Element speciation in food, beverages and clinical samples was investigated by several researchers. Beside As, Hg and Se, which appear regularly in this series of Updates, new approaches to the speciation of Cu in serum in relation to Wilson's disease and Alzheimer's disease were reported. Following the trend seen in the last few years, the number of papers focusing on chemometrics to identify origin and authenticity of foods and traditional medicines has significantly increased. Both LIBS and EDXRFS are frequently used for this purpose, but the focus of the work is often the processing of the obtained analytical d","PeriodicalId":81,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry","volume":" 3","pages":" 819-898"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147388514","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Elemental analysis of air-sensitive frozen molten salt samples using an inert transfer chamber for LIBS/LA-ICP-TOF-MS analysis†","authors":"Hunter B. Andrews, Peggy T. Milota, Sam Schultz, Charlie Ferguson, C. Derrick Quarles, Supathorn Phongikaroon and Benjamin T. Manard","doi":"10.1039/D5JA00482A","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5JA00482A","url":null,"abstract":"<p >A novel inert sample transfer system was developed and employed to enable, for the first time, the analysis of air-sensitive salt samples in a two-volume ablation cell using simultaneous laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and laser ablation (LA)-inductively coupled plasma (ICP)-time-of-flight (TOF)-mass spectrometry (MS) analysis. Molten salts are of growing interest as a medium for advanced nuclear reactors and nuclear fuel reprocessing technologies continue to be developed around their use. However, compositional analysis of molten salt samples can be challenging because of their air-sensitive nature and varying solubilities leading to inaccurate measurements when digested. LA-based analysis provides an alternate method to digestion and can provide rapid elemental information with little sample preparation. In this study, LIBS and LA-ICP-TOF-MS were used to analyze the Ce content in frozen salt samples taken from a series of electrochemical experiments. Calibrations were built for each technique, and the resulting limits of detection for Ce were estimated to be 107 and 58 µg g<small>⁻¹</small> for LIBS and LA-ICP-TOF-MS, respectively. Test samples from the electrochemical experiments were analyzed using these calibrations. The results matched bulk digestion-based ICP-optical emission spectroscopy values, and daily trends in Ce concentration changes were identified. Additionally, the LIBS and LA-ICP-TOF-MS analysis was demonstrated for identifying microgram per gram levels of components and detecting trace contaminants. The impurities detected by LIBS included Al, Mg, Ca, and Na. The impurities detected by LA-ICP-TOF-MS included W, Ag, Al, Fe, Ni, Mo, Nd, Sm, Th, and U.</p>","PeriodicalId":81,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry","volume":" 4","pages":" 1386-1396"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/ja/d5ja00482a?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147686505","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Analytical methods and reproducibility of reference material dates for (U–Th)/He thermochronology at the geochronology laboratory of the IGGCAS, China","authors":"Lin Wu, Fei Wang, Jie An, Han Hu, Liekun Yang, Wenbei Shi, Zhiyong Zhang and Yinzhi Wang","doi":"10.1039/D5JA00473J","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5JA00473J","url":null,"abstract":"<p >The (U–Th)/He dating technique has been widely used for several decades to constrain the timing of low-temperature geological processes. In this contribution, we describe the detailed procedures developed and the dating results of reference materials obtained for over a decade in a low-temperature thermochronological laboratory at the Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IGGCAS), which allows (U–Th)/He ages to be obtained with an analytical uncertainty of 1–3%. The (U–Th)/He geochronological data of U- and Th-bearing minerals at the IGGCAS laboratory are obtained through a combination of crystal selection, helium extraction by laser heating and measurement by noble-gas quadrupole mass spectrometry (QMS), and U and Th measurement by isotope dilution using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). More specifically, the (U–Th)/He geochronological data of widely used reference materials, such as Durango apatite and Fish Canyon Tuff (FCT) zircon and titanite, are reported, which are consistent with previously published results. Moreover, newly developed potential reference minerals such as MK-1 apatite, Penglai zircon (PL) and M6635 vesuvianite are reported with a considerable precision of 1–3% for the single crystal/fragment of uncorrected (U–Th)/He date.</p>","PeriodicalId":81,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry","volume":" 4","pages":" 1212-1224"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147686462","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}