Matrix Volatilization ICP-OES and ICP-MS for Trace Elements Analysis in High-purity Tellurium Materials

A method for the analysis of high-purity tellurium employing inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and ICP mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is proposed, entailing the preliminary concentration of trace elements by matrix volatilization. Vacuum distillation under heating was used for sample matrix volatilization (Te). The effects of temperature and duration of matrix volatilization on analyte loss were carefully studied. The tellurium analysis method involving preliminary concentration of traces by matrix volatilization provides analyte limits of detection (LODs) of up to several tenths of 1 ng g-1 for ICP-OES and up to hundredths of ng g-1 for ICP-MS. It was demonstrated that matrix volatilization improved the analyte LODs by an average of 20-30-fold compared to that attained using conventional ICP-OES and ICP-MS analyses. The accuracy of the proposed method was confirmed by conducting a << spike >> experiment that entailed all of the preliminary concentration stages and analysis of a real high-purity tellurium sample.