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  • Single-step separation sche...
    Li, Chao-Feng; Guo, Jing-Hui; Yang, Yue-Heng; Chu, Zhu-Yin; Wang, Xuan-Ce

    Journal of analytical atomic spectrometry, 2014, Volume: 29, Issue: 8
    Journal Article

    Thermal ionization mass spectrometry and multiple-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry are considered to be "gold standards" for the determination of the isotope ratios of Sr-Nd and Hf in geological samples because of the extremely high precision and accuracy of these methods. However, the sample throughputs are hindered by time-consuming and tedious chemical procedures. Three-step ion exchange resin separation is traditionally employed to purify Sr-Nd-Hf from matrix elements. In this study, a one-step Sr-Nd-Hf separation scheme was developed to process geological samples. The separation scheme is based on the combined use of conventional AG50W-X12 cation-exchange resin and LN Spec extraction chromatographic material without any intervening evaporation step. The protocol not only prevents cross-contamination during operation using multiple-stage ion exchange resins but also significantly improves the efficiency of sample preparation. The stability of our chemical procedure was demonstrated by replicate measurements of 87 Sr/ 86 Sr, 143 Nd/ 144 Nd, and 176 Hf/ 177 Hf ratios in six international reference materials of silicate rocks. The analytical results obtained for these standard rocks compare well with the published data. The external reproducibility (2 SD, n = 10) of a BCR-2 standard sample was ±0.000018 for 87 Sr/ 86 Sr, ±0.000010 for 143 Nd/ 144 Nd, and ±0.000014 for 176 Hf/ 177 Hf. One-step separation route based on AG50W-X12 cation-exchange resin and LN Spec extraction chromatographic material for purification of Sr-Nd-Hf from geological samples followed by TIMS and MC-ICP-MS.