Abstract:

Abstract:  Recent advances in sample digestion, separation and instrumental measurement for analysis of platinum group elements (PGE) in geological samples are reviewedThe low concentration of the PGE in most of the geological samples and their heterogeneous distributions (nugget effect) make accurate determination of PGE very difficultSeparation of PGE from sample matrix are required to reduce nugget effect, to minimize the blank level and detection limits, and to avoid interferencesFire assay, acid treatment, alkali fusion and Carius tube techniques for digesting geological samples, tellurium coprecipitation and ion exchange methods for separating PGE from the matrix, atomic absorption spectrometry(AAS), inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry(ICPAES), instrumental neutron activation analysis(INAA) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS) for determination of PGE, are reviewed in this paperBecause of the diverse contents and distributions of PGE in geological samples, the analytical methods should be used suitably for routine analysisAccording to the advantages and disadvantages of each method and the experience of our laboratory, this paper also summarizes the suitable digestion and preconcentrating methods for different geological samples.

Key words:

Key words: platinum group elements; fire assay; alkali fusion; inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry