Determination of Trace Amounts of Mercury, Lead and Cadmium in Steels by ICP-MS after Ion Exchange Chromatographic Separation

Abstract

Trace amounts of mercury, lead, and cadmium at a level of ng g⁻¹ in steel were determined by ICP-MS after cation-exchange chromatographic separation. The sample was decomposed with nitric acid, and the analytes were separated from the iron matrix in 1 M hydrofluoric acid solution, using the cation-exchange resin packed in a mini-column. The elements adsorbed on the resin were eluted by 8 M hydrochloric acid solution and determined by ICP-MS simultaneously. The lower limits of detection based on 3 σ of blank values were 2 ng g⁻¹ for mercury, 9 ng g⁻¹ for lead, and 0.5 ng g⁻¹ for cadmium.