This document discusses the importance of accurate and precise determination of gold and other precious metals, and introduces the new method using Agilent 4100 MP-AES to meet this need.
The document presents an analysis method for gold, platinum, and palladium in fire assay samples prepared from rock. The study utilizes the Agilent 4100 MP-AES instrument to evaluate its performance against conventional flame atomic absorption spectroscopy (AA). Key parameters such as operating conditions, detection limits, linear range, sample volume requirements, and accuracy were investigated.
| Analytes (wavelength) | Au (267.595), Pt (265.945), Pd (363.470) |
|---|---|
| Nebulizer pressure | 140-240 kPa |
| Read time | 3s |
| No. of replicates | 3 |
| Sample uptake delay | 10s |
| Stabilization time | 5s |
| Method detection limit for Au | 4 pg/L |
| Method detection limit for Pt | 13 pg/L |
| Method detection limit for Pd | 07 pg/L |
The linearity for all three analytes was acceptable up to a concentration of 120 mg/L.
The sample volume consumed during analysis was 1.8 mL when using an Agilent SPS 3 Sample Preparation System.
No, it relies on the generation of a microwave plasma using nitrogen, so no flammable gases such as acetylene are required.