Determination of the precious metals in geological materials by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

The determination of the precious metals, consisting of the platinum group elements and gold, in geological materials is reviewed. The instrumental technique, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, has been applied to analyses of rocks, minerals, soils, sediments, water and vegetation. The advantages of multi-element capability and excellent detection limits mean that accurate determinations of small concentrations of precious metals are possible in a wide variety of geological samples such as rocks, soils, sediments, water and botanical materials. This review contains information and data from 66 references. The period covered is 1988-97. The references were selected from a larger group because of their significance in describing procedures and applications involving determinations of precious metals in various matrices of interest in geological studies. They demonstrate some of the strengths of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, particularly high sensitivity combined with good accuracies in simultaneous determinations of low concentrations. The review includes descriptions of some relatively new geological reference materials for use in development and validation of analytical methods.