Improved boron determination in biological material by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Important aspects of boron determination by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry are reviewed and extended by additional studies. Determinations on a range of biological materials were performed by external calibration, standard additions and isotope dilution. Memory effects were reduced by rinsing with a wash-solution of sodium fluoride. Accuracy was tested with four biological standard reference materials. Accurate and precise determinations can be achieved with all three modes. The fastest and simplest method is external calibration, where matrix effects can be controlled with beryllium as internal standard. No Improvement resulted with the more laborious standard additions method. The isotope dilution technique requires time-consuming supplementary measurements. Biological material with a boron content 0.06 µg g–1 can be determined.