We quantitatively determined Be, Al, Si, Ca, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Zr, Ag, Cd, Sn La, Ce, Nd, Pb and Th concentrations in magnesium alloys using glow-discharge mass spectrometry (GDMS). The relative sensitivity factors in Mg (RSF
X,Mg) of the analytes were evaluated using the ratios of the ion intensity for each element obtained from six standard samples of MBH SRMs. We selected 1 kV-2 mA as the optimum discharge parameter, and precisely examined the spectral interference related to both the main components and the discharge gas. For an experiment performed under these conditions, the observed interference of argide ions could be separated with 5000 (5% peak height) of the mass resolution. Of the RSF values that were measured by a Daly multiplier detector, Si, Cu, Sn, La, Ce and Nd were in accordance with published values, but Ca, Ni, Ag and Th greatly differed. The Faraday cup detector differs in sensitivity from the multiplier detector, and thus (RSF
X,Mg) measured by each detector should be based on the concentration level of each element. The practical pure magnesium quantitative values produced by GDMS were in good agreement with those of chemical analysis. This indicates that we established a highly sensitive and quantitative analytical method to quickly and simultaneously determine the presence of many elements in magnesium alloys by using GDMS.
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