Development of Methods for Sample Preparation and Introduction into Excitation and Ionization Sources for Combined Procedures of Atomic Emission and Mass Spectral Analysis.

Inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES), two-jet arc plasma atomic emission spectrometry (TJP-AES), and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) are among the most informative methods for the quantitative chemical analysis (QCA) of high-purity substances and functional materials, both in the set of analytes and in their limits of detection (LODs). At the same time, the analytical capabilities of QCA methods in their standard version are not always sufficient for determining analytes at a level of 10−9−10−7% (ppb and ppt). The use of combined (including the stage of the preconcentration of trace elements) QCA procedures and alternative methods of sample introduction into ICP, which increase the efficiency of using trace element concentrates, makes it possible to reduce the instrumental LODs for analytes by 1–2 orders of magnitude and expand the capabilities of the methods. The presented mini-review examines the results of using the ICP-AES, TJP-AES, and ICP-MS methods for the analysis of high-purity Ge, Cd, Te, Zn with the preconcentration of trace elements by distilling off the matrix of the sample, the use of electrothermal vaporization for introducing samples into plasma sources, and also the use of laser ablation ICP-MS for the analysis of trace element concentrates using the so-called "thin layer method". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]