Direct lead isotope analysis in Hg-rich sulfides by LA-MC-ICP-MS with a gas exchange device and matrix-matched calibration

•Improved approach of in-situ Pb isotope analysis in Hg-rich sulfides.•Complete removal of Hg interference from aerosol particles transported in helium by a gas exchange device.•Evaluation and recommendation of two sulfides as the potential sulfide standard candidates.•Characterization of potential matrix-matched sulfide reference materials for LA analysis.

In situ Pb isotope data of sulfide samples measured by LA-MC-ICP-MS provide valuable geochemical information for studies of the origin and evolution of ore deposits. However, the severe isobaric interference of 204Hg on 204Pb and the lack of matrix-matched sulfide reference materials limit the precision of Pb isotopic analyses for Hg-rich sulfides. In this study, we observe that Hg forms vapor and can be completely removed from sample aerosol particles produced by laser ablation using a gas exchange device. Additionally, this device does not influence the signal intensities of Pb isotopes. The within-run precision, the external reproducibility and the analytical accuracy are significantly improved for the Hg-rich sulfide samples using this mercury-vapor-removing device. Matrix effects are observed when using silicate glass reference materials as the external standards to assess the relationship of mass fractionation factors between Tl and Pb in sulfide samples, resulting in a maximum deviation of ∼0.20% for 20xPb/204Pb. Matrix-matched reference materials are therefore required for the highly precise and accurate Pb isotope analyses of sulfide samples. We investigated two sulfide samples, MASS-1 (the Unites States Geological Survey reference materials) and Sph-HYLM (a natural sphalerite), as potential candidates. Repeated analyses of the two proposed sulfide reference materials by LA-MC-ICP-MS yield good external reproducibility of <0.04% (RSD, k = 2) for 20xPb/206Pb and <0.06% (RSD, k = 2) for 20xPb/204Pb with the exception of 20xPb/204Pb in MASS-1, which provided an external reproducibility of 0.24% (RSD, k = 2). Because the concentration of Pb in MASS-1 (76 μg g−1) is ∼5.2 times lower than that in Sph-HYLM (394 ± 264 μg g−1). The in situ analytical results of MASS-1 and Sph-HYLM are consistent with the values obtained by solution MC-ICP-MS, demonstrating the reliability and robustness of our analytical protocol.

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