Determination of rare-earth elements, yttrium and scandium in rocks by anion exchange—X-ray fluorescence technique

doi:10.1016/0009-2541(86)90132-4

Chemical Geology

Volume 55, Issues 1–2, 30 May 1986, Pages 121-137

https://doi.org/10.1016/0009-2541(86)90132-4 Get rights and content

Abstract

An ion exchange—X-ray fluorescence method for the determination of rare-earth elements (REE), Y and Sc in rocks and minerals is described. Samples are decomposed using a sodium peroxide sinter which dissolves even the most resistant minerals. A two-stage ion-exchange procedure, using hydrochloric and nitric acids, is used to separate other elements from the REE, Y and Sc which are adsorbed onto ion-exchange papers for XRF analysis. Data acquired on the international standard rocks using this technique compare favourably with the accepted values. These results, combined with precision checks on in-house standards, indicate that the precision and accuracy of this technique can be better than or equal to that of other well-established REE analytical techniques.

References (39)

J.G. Arth et al.
Geochemistry and origin of the Early Precambrian crust of northeastern Minnesota
Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta
(1975)
C.B. Belcher
Sodium peroxide as a flux in refractory and mineral analysis
Talanta
(1963)
I.B. Brenner et al.
The application of a N₂Ar medium power ICP and cation-exchange chromatography for the spectrometric determination of the rare-earth elements in geological materials
Chem. Geol.
(1984)
J.G. Crock et al.
The group separation of the rare earth elements and yttrium from geological materials by cation-exchange chromatography
Chem. Geol.
(1984)
B.J. Fryer
Rare earth evidence in iron formations for changing Precambrian oxidation states. Geochim
Cosmochim. Acta
(1977)
P.J. Hooker et al.
Determination of rare-earth elements in USGS standard rocks by mixed-solvent ion exchange and mass-spectrometric isotope dilution
Chem. Geol.
(1975)
S.M. McLennan et al.
Geochemical standards for sedimentary rocks: trace element data for U.S.G.S. standards SCo1, MAG1 and SGR1
Chem. Geol.
(1980)
N. Nakamura
Determination of REE, Ba, Fe, Mg, Na and K in carbonaceous and ordinary chondrites
Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta
(1974)
P.J. Potts et al.
Determination of the rare-earth element abundances in 29 international rock standards by instrumental neutron activation analysis: a critical appraisal of calibration errors
Chem. Geol.
(1981)
M.F. Roden et al.
Geochemistry of tholeiitic and alkalic lavas from the Koolau Range, Oahu, Hawaii: implications for Hawaiian volcanism
Earth Planet. Sci. Lett.
(1984)

F.W.E. Strelow

Separation of trivalent rare earths plus Sc(III) from Al, Ga, In, Tl, Fe, Ti, U, and other elements by cation-exchange chromatography

Anal. Chim. Acta

(1966)

S.R. Taylor et al.

Geochemical application of spark source mass spectrography, III. Element sensitivity, precision and accuracy

Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta

(1977)

M.F. Thirlwall

A triple-filament method for rapid and precise analysis of rare-earth elements by isotope dilution

Chem. Geol.

(1982)

W.M. White et al.

HfNdSr isotopes and incompatible element abundances in island arcs: implications for magma origins and crust—mantle evolution

Earth Planet. Sci. Lett.

(1984)

R.A. Zielinski

Trace element evaluation of a suite of rocks from Reunion Island, Indian Ocean

Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta

(1975)

S. Abbey

Studies in “Standard Samples” for use in the general analysis of silicate rocks and minerals, Part 6: 1979 edition of “Usable” values

Geol. Surv. Can., Pap.

(1980)

S. Abbey

An evaluation of USGS III

Geostand. Newsl.

(1982)

A. Ando et al.

1974 compilation of data on the GSJ geochemical reference samples JG-1 granodiorite and JB-1 basalt

Geochem. J.

(1974)

S.-J. Barnes et al.

Trace element analysis by neutron activation with a low flux reactor (Slowpoke-II): Results for international reference rocks

Geostand. Newsl.

(1984)

Cited by (83)

Developing potentiometric sensors for scandium
2021, Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical
Citation Excerpt :
The price to pay for these advantages is high equipment and operating costs and the need for experienced personnel [13]. There are several other analytical tools that can be employed for scandium determination like X-ray fluorescence spectrometry [14–16] and neutron activation analysis [5,10–12,17], but they are applied less frequently due to the consideration of low sensitivity and long sample preparation, correspondingly. The drawbacks of the sophisticated instrumental techniques have inspired the search for more cost-effective methods for Sc analysis and there are several reports exploring spectrophotometric detection of Sc with various dyes [18–20] and fluorimetric detection with various ligands [21,22].
Scandium is a rare earth element that is not very abundant on Earth, however in recent years due to the employment of scandium in various high-tech fields the interest in the analytical chemistry of this metal is growing. Currently, the methods for scandium quantification are mainly based on inductively coupled plasma atomic emission and mass-spectrometry and to the best of our knowledge no potentiometric sensors for scandium detection were reported so far. This study is devoted to the development of simple and cost-effective ion-selective sensors for quantification of Sc³⁺ in aqueous media. Employing the variety of lipophilic ligands suggested in liquid extraction for separation of lanthanides and actinides we synthesized a series of plasticized polymeric sensor membranes that have shown pronounced sensitivity to Sc³⁺ in acidic aqueous solutions, reaching in some cases super-Nernstian values around 30 mV/dec. The selectivity of the sensors was studied with respect to transition metals, lanthanides and yttrium and it was found that most of the developed sensors are selective towards scandium. The real-life applicability of the sensors was demonstrated in quantification of scandium in industrial solutions – hydrolytic sulfuric acid obtained from pigment titanium dioxide production. We believe these sensors can be considered as a promising alternative to conventional analytical methods in technological process monitoring task.
Sample Digestion Methods
2013, Treatise on Geochemistry: Second Edition
The digestion of samples is an important aspect of routine analysis and is often the limiting factor in obtaining accurate results, especially for geologic sample analysis. The interest in using different digestion methods has increased significantly during recent decades. Although sample digestion is a popular research theme for analytical geochemists, the development of sample digestion methods has lagged far behind developments in analytical instrumentation. In addition to general considerations for sample digestions, specific focus here is on open vessel digestions, closed vessel digestions, microwave digestions, partial dissolutions, dry ashing, alkali fusions, fire assays, Carius tube methods, high-pressure asher (HPA-S), and direct rock fusion techniques. This chapter addresses concerns and discusses the attributes and limitations of these sample digestion methods along with examples of their application to geochemical and environmental analysis. It is evident that only the appropriate sample digestion methods can provide high-quality analytical results and guarantee the success of further investigations.
Age and Nd-Hf isotopic constraints on the origin of marginal rocks from the Muskox layered intrusion (Nunavut, Canada) and implications for the evolution of the 1.27 Ga Mackenzie large igneous province
2009, Precambrian Research
The Muskox mafic–ultramafic layered intrusion, Nunavut, is part of the widespread 1.27 Ga Mackenzie large igneous province in northern Canada. The age and Nd–Hf isotope geochemistry of samples from the marginal zone of the Muskox intrusion and adjacent gneisses allow for an assessment of contamination mechanisms along the floor and walls of the intrusion, relationships between the marginal zone and overlying layered series, and genetic links with the Coppermine River flood basalts and Mackenzie dikes. The marginal zone, intersected in two diamond drill holes at stratigraphically low (West Pyrrhotite Lake) and high (Far West Margin) positions along the western margin of the intrusion, comprises a thick upper subzone (∼100–150 m) of olivine and olivine–chromite cumulates and a relatively thin (<10 m) lower subzone containing granophyre-bearing gabbronoritic rocks. U–Pb baddeleyite geochronology yields a crystallization age of the marginal zone of ca. 1269 Ma based on dating of three samples (1268.8 ± 1.7 Ma, chromite-rich peridotite; 1268.7 ± 2.9 Ma, gabbronorite; 1271.5 ± 3.4 Ma, peridotite), which is synchronous with published ages from the layered series and Mackenzie dikes. The peridotites from both sections mostly span a restricted range of isotopic compositions (initial ɛ_Nd = −2.8 to +0.5; initial ɛ_Hf = −3.9 to +1.5), which is similar to that observed in the overlying layered series and consistent with the lack of significant chamber-wide crustal contamination of the Muskox parent magmas during differentiation and consolidation. In contrast, the gabbronorites within 10 m of the margin of the intrusion (initial ɛ_Nd = −13 to −5.5; initial ɛ_Hf = −16 to −5.9) were strongly contaminated by melting and exchange with their respective host rocks; the extent of contamination is greater adjacent to paragneiss wallrocks than adjacent to orthogneiss. Crystallization of this thin, contaminated zone along the margin of the Muskox intrusion likely sealed the contacts with the host gneisses and prevented magmas within the interior of the chamber from interacting with the surrounding crustal rocks. Comparison of the Nd isotopic compositions from the marginal zone with published results from the layered series and the Coppermine River flood basalts indicates that only the lowermost portion of the volcanic succession (lower member of the Copper Creek Formation and lowermost part of the middle member) could represent residual magmas that resided and fractionated in the Muskox magma chamber prior to eruption. Construction of the Muskox layered intrusion was thus restricted to the early stages of emplacement of the Mackenzie large igneous province.
Sample preparation of geological samples, soils and sediments
2003, Comprehensive Analytical Chemistry
Citation Excerpt :
Sodium salts and silica are removed and the cake dissolved in HCl acid. The technique has been used by Robinson et al. [105], Longerich et al. [94] and Yu et al. [22], who determined the REE, Sc, Y, Th and Sr. Yu et al. [22] also measured Rb, Zr, Nb, Mo, Sn, Sb, Cs, Ba, Hf, Ta, Tl, Pb and Bi in nine reference rocks, finding poor recoveries for these elements.
Determination of rare earth elements in soils and sediments by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry after cation-exchange separation
2002, Talanta
The influence of matrix elements such as Ba, Ca, Fe, K, Na and Ti, on the inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry determination of the rare earth elements in soils and sediments is investigated and analytical lines with minimal interferences are chosen. The analysis of certified reference materials by two calibration methods (pure rare earth solutions and IAEA-Soil 5) and after cation-exchange proved that calibrations with IAEA-Soil 5 increase the number of accurately determined rare earth elements (REE), permitting the instrumental determination of Ce, Eu, La, Nd, Tb, Yb and Y in soils and some sediments. The cation-exchange procedure permits the determination of 12 REE with very good accuracy (below 10%) and detection limits varying between 0.05 (Eu, Tb, Yb) and 0.5 (Er) mg kg⁻¹.
Development and application of an analysis method for the determination of rare earth elements in silicate-rich samples by Na<inf>2</inf>O<inf>2</inf> sintering and ICP–MS analysis
2022, Analytical Sciences

View all citing articles on Scopus

^∗1: Present addresses: Bureau of Mineral Resources, Geology and Geophysics, Canberra, A.C.T. 2601, Australia.

^∗2: Present addresses: Department of Earth Sciences, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Nfld. A1B 3X5, Canada.

View full text

Research paperDetermination of rare-earth elements, yttrium and scandium in rocks by anion exchange—X-ray fluorescence technique

Abstract

Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta

Talanta

Chem. Geol.

Chem. Geol.

Cosmochim. Acta

Chem. Geol.

Chem. Geol.

Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta

Chem. Geol.

Earth Planet. Sci. Lett.

Anal. Chim. Acta

Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta

Chem. Geol.

Earth Planet. Sci. Lett.

Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta

Studies in “Standard Samples” for use in the general analysis of silicate rocks and minerals, Part 6: 1979 edition of “Usable” values

Geol. Surv. Can., Pap.

An evaluation of USGS III

Geostand. Newsl.

1974 compilation of data on the GSJ geochemical reference samples JG-1 granodiorite and JB-1 basalt

Geochem. J.

Trace element analysis by neutron activation with a low flux reactor (Slowpoke-II): Results for international reference rocks

Geostand. Newsl.

Research paper
Determination of rare-earth elements, yttrium and scandium in rocks by anion exchange—X-ray fluorescence technique