DETERMINATION OF TRACE IMPURITIES IN TANTALUM OXIDE AND NIOBIUM OXIDE BY LASER ABLATION INDUCTIVELY COUPLED PLASMA MASS-SPECTROMETRY

Methods have been developed for the determination of trace impurities in high-purity tantalum and niobium oxides by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Sample preparation is quick and simple, as no dissolution or separation from the matrix is necessary. The limits of detection are less than 1 mug g-1 for most elements, and relative standard deviations are of the order of 0.15. Problems experienced with the technique, i.e., memory effects and poor reproducibility of laser ablation data acquisition, are discussed.