Development of a simple method for the direct determination of rare earth elements in refractory materials

固体的多元素分析通常需要将其溶解，这既耗时又非常困难，在某些情况下几乎是不可能的。在这个项目中，将开发一种新的方法，用于直接分析出了名的难以溶解的固体。样品将被插入一个小熔炉，其温度将被逐步改变，以便有选择地将感兴趣的元素汽化到检测系统中。为了促进感兴趣的元素的汽化，可以与炉内的固体反应的气体将被引入炉内。操作条件将被优化，以产生一个通用的方法，适用于各种固体的准确分析。这种方法将允许金士顿过程冶金公司（KPM）等行业在内部分析困难的样品，而不必将它们送到服务实验室，从而缩短周转时间，并完全控制分析质量控制和质量保证（QC/QA）。该方法将分4个步骤开发。在第一步完成后，KPM将有一个直接分析固体的基本方法，需要使用固体基准物质进行校准。在第二步结束时，可以使用标准溶液进行校准，这比固体参考材料容易获得且便宜得多。在第三步之后，该方法将允许测量固体样品中较低水平的元素。在项目结束时，将产生一种可重复且准确的固体样品直接分析的通用方法。在每一步之后，该方法的发表，包括其准确性的演示，将在同行评审的期刊上完成，以便加拿大和其他地方的其他人在分析难以溶解的固体时也遇到困难，可以复制它。由于该方法将适用于土壤、煤炭等，因此对于监测环境中元素的政府实验室、寻找新的地下矿床的地球化学勘探者以及希望快速评估其固体产品纯度的加拿大工业（如陶瓷工业）来说，它应该是无价的。

The multi-elemental analysis of solids typically requires their dissolution, which is time-consuming and very difficult, if not virtually impossible in several cases. During this project, a new method will be developed for the direct analysis of solids that are notoriously difficult to dissolve. The sample will be inserted into a small furnace whose temperature will be changed in steps in order to selectively vaporize the elements of interest into the detection system. To facilitate vaporization of the elements of interest, gases that can react with the solid within the furnace will be introduced into the furnace. The operating conditions will be optimized to yield a versatile method that is applicable to the accurate analysis of a variety of solids. This method will allow industries such as Kingston Process Metallurgy Inc. (KPM) to analyze difficult samples in house, instead of having to send them to service laboratories, allowing much shorter turnaround time and with full control on the analysis quality control and quality assurance (QC/QA). The method will be developed in 4 steps. At the completion of the first step, KPM will have a basic method for the direct analysis of solids, requiring the use of solid reference materials for calibration. At the end of the second step, the direct analysis of solids will be possible using standard solutions for calibration, which are readily available and much cheaper than solid reference materials. After the third step, the method will allow the measurement of lower levels of elements in solid samples. At the end of the project, a versatile method for the reproducible and accurate direct analysis of solid samples will result. After each step, publication of the method, including a demonstration of its accuracy, will be done in a peer-reviewed journal so that others in Canada and elsewhere who also experience difficulty with the analysis of hard-to-dissolve solids may replicate it. Because the method will be applicable to soils, coal, etc., it should be invaluable to government laboratories monitoring elements in the environment, to geochemical prospectors looking for new under-cover ore deposits to mine, and to Canadian industries (such as the ceramics industry) that want to quickly assess the purity of their solid products.