Determination of trace elements in high purity alumina powder by helium enhanced direct current glow discharge mass spectrometry

•Trace impurities in high purity alumina were determined by fast-flow direct current GD-MS.•The graphite powder was used for a powder sample binder and secondary cathode.•The sensitivity of the GD-MS was improved by additional helium gas.•Relative sensitivity factors of alumina samples were calculated by certified reference materials.

Trace impurities in high purity alumina powder were determined by fast flow direct current glow discharge mass spectrometry (GD-MS). The non-conductive samples were prepared with high purity graphite powder and used as a sample binder and as a secondary cathode. To improve the sensitivity of the GD-MS analysis, helium was introduced as an additional glow discharge gas to argon plasma. The quantification results of the GD-MS measurement were calculated by external calibration with matrix matched certified reference materials. The GD-MS results for the determination of Na, Mg, Si, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Fe, Cu, Zn and Ga in the alumina samples agreed well with the certified values of a reference material and the results of chemical analysis using wet sample digestion with inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The GD-MS analysis is a rapid analysis technique to determine trace elements in non-conductive alumina to below mg·kg− 1 levels.