Determination of Pt and Pd in Copper Concentrate Ores by ICP-MS Using D₂₉₀ Anion Exchange Resin and Activated Charcoal for Concentration

Determination of trace elements in minerals usually requires pre-concentration and separation with many spectral line interferences during measurement. The concentrate ores were calcined at high temperature to remove the C and S. The calcinates were then digested by using the HCl-auqa regia-HF acids system. The D₂₉₀ anion exchange resin and activated charcoal procedures were conducted to enrich Pt and Pd. The contents of Pt and pd were obtained by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) with internal standard elements of Y, In and Bi and measured isotopes of ¹⁰⁵Pd and ¹⁹⁵Pt. The absorption property and separation conditions of D₂₉₀ anion exchange resin to trace Pt and Pd in copper concentrate ores were studied. The enrichment effects of Pt and Pd were above 90%, the recoveries were 92.0% and 96.0%, and the relative standard deviations (RSD, n=6) were smaller than 4%. The detection limits of the method were 0.126 ng/g and 0.105 ng/g for Pt and Pd. The presented method mostly reduced the inferences from other ions to the target elements of Pt and Pd. Moreover, the collision reaction between the internal standard elements and high purity Ar effectively reduced the matrix effect and isobaric interference. Five random geological samples were analyzed by this method in comparison with the method of NiS fire assay ICP-MS and the established method had the advantages of simple pretreatment and high enrichment of Pt and Pd with lower detection limits.