Determination of platinum group elements in impact breccias using neutron activation analysis and ultrasonic nebulization inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry after anion exchange preconcentration

An anion exchange procedure has been optimized for the analysis of platinum group elements (PGEs) in geological samples at low abundances by adding two stages: chlorination and replicate sorption onto a small anion exchange column. Combined with neutron activation analysis (NAA) and ultrasonic nebulization inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (USN-ICP-MS) determination, this procedure is evaluated by replicate analyses of PGEs (Ru, Pd, Os, Ir, Pt), Au, Ag and Re in two reference materials, WMG-1 and WITS-1. The suitability of the method for actual geological samples was demonstrated by analyzing target rocks and breccias from the Bosumtwi impact crater, Ghana. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.