Determination of Platinum Group Elements in Particulate Matter by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry

This study examined a method for determination of rhodium (Rh), palladium (Pd) and platinum (Pt) in particulate matter using standard solutions, model samples and certified reference materials (NIST 1648a and ERM CZ120). The method was based on microwave digestion followed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The results showed that the stability of the standard solution mixture of Rh, Pd and Pt was better when chlorides were present in the solution. A membrane filter and one type of quartz filter were the most adequate for analyzing platinum group elements (PGE). Respective limits of detection for Rh, Pd and Pt were 0.028, 0.503 and 0.0265 pg/m3 with a membrane filter and 0.478, 4.530 and 0.070 pg/m3 for one type of quartz filters. The sample matrix had no significant effects on the determination of three PGEs.