REE determination in waste water and effective doubly charged interference removal by ICP-MS

REEs are typically present in wastewater at ultra-trace (ng/L) levels. Wastewater matrices are complex, often containing high levels of salts and organic matter that can cause matrix effects and spectral interferences. Doubly charged ions (M²⁺) from REEs like Nd²⁺, Sm²⁺, Gd²⁺ can interfere with monoisotopic analytes by appearing at half their mass-to-charge ratio (e.g., 150Nd²⁺ interferes with 75As⁺). These interferences are particularly problematic for elements like As, Se, Zn, and Ru. This presentation will discuss the mitigation and removal of the associated interferences for both single and triple quad ICP-MS.

Presenter: L. Craig Jones (ICP-MS Application Scientist, Agilent Technologies, Inc.)

Craig has been with Agilent for over 15 years as an ICP-MS applications scientist. He has been involved with multiple type of applications for ICP-MS, including environmental, pharmaceutical, semiconductor, geologic, and clinical analyses, to name a few. Previous to Agilent he worked in an environmental lab performing analysis and supervising both the inorganic and organic sections of the laboratory. In his spare time, Craig enjoys volunteering at the local marine science center, mountain biking, hiking, and relaxing at the beach. Craig obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Fort Lewis College in Durango, CO.