Direct Determination of Trace Elements in High Purity Gallium by High Resolution Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry

An analytical method using high resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HR-ICP-MS) for rapid simultaneous determination of Be, Mg, Al, Si, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ge, As, Mo, Ag, Cd, In, Sb, Ba, Pb, and Bi elements in high purity gallium was described. The sample was dissolved in HNO3 and HCl by microwave digestion, then the above 22 elements in the solution were detected directly by HR-ICP-MS. Most of the spectral interferences could be avoided by measuring in the high resolution mode (HRM). The matrix effects because of the presence of excess HCl and Ga were evaluated. Correction for matrix effects was made using Sc, Rh and Tl as internal standards. The conditions of the determination were optimized and discussed. The result showed that the detection limit of the method was in the range of 0.001–0.21 μ g l−1, the relative standard deviation (RSD) was less than 3.3% and the recovery of the samples was in the range of 89.8%–111.6%.