Evaluation of spectral interference of lutetium on analytes including specified rare earth elements using a CCD detector-based ICP-AES

Abstract

The contribution due to the spectral interference of Lu in inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry was studied on 28 analytes including some rare earth elements (Gd, Dy, Nd, Ce, Pr, and La). Based on the analytical performance (including detection limit, sensitivity, linear dynamic range, and precision) and spectral interference contribution of Lu, the best line(s) for the analytes were evaluated. The method was selected for the direct trace determination of the analytes in the presence of Lu without any chemical separation. An argon gas was used as the plasma source and a highly sensitive capacitatively coupled device (CCD) detector provided the selection of additional interference-free analytical lines of the elements. The method was validated using synthetic samples prepared from commercially available standard reference materials of the individual analytes and the correction factor was unified in the analysis.