Ultraviolet Laser Sampling and High Resolution Inductively Coupled Plasma‐Mass Spectrometry of NIST and BCR‐2G Glass Reference Materials

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Abstract
A Merchantek LUV266TM petrographic ultraviolet (UV) laser microprobe has been used in conjunction with a Finnigan MAT ELEMENTTM high resolution ICP double‐focusing mass spectrometer (HR‐ICP‐MS) for solid microsampling and geochemical analysis. This new configuration for laser ablation has the advantage of coupling the high sensitivity and fast scanning technology applied in the ELEMENT with the ablation efficiency of a UV laser. Optimisation of the configuration on the synthetic NIST SRM 612 glass standard reference material using Q‐switched UV laser energy of 2 mJ and a 5 Hz repetition rate demonstrates: (1) a linear element response factor throughout the mass spectrum, suggesting limited fractionation during laser ablation; (2) a high sensitivity and very low background noise for most elements of interest; (3) limits of detection ranging from 3 ng g‐1 for Sc to 300 pg g‐1 for U; (4) a flat topped peak shape suitable for precise isotopic measurements; and (5) a flat bottomed crater geometry which permits progressive ablation for the analysis of thin sections. Average precision and accuracy estimates based on replicate analyses of synthetic NIST standard reference material and USGS BCR‐2G glasses are below 10% for most elements.

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