Relative sensitivity coefficients for rare earths in spark-source mass spectrometry

Atomic emission spectroscopy (AES) is an analytical technique used to determine the elemental composition of a sample by analyzing the light emitted from excited atoms. In AES, atoms in a sample are excited to higher energy levels by thermal energy from high-temperature sources, such as plasma, arcs, or sparks. When these excited atoms return to lower energy states, they emit light at specific wavelengths characteristic of each element. The resulting atomic emission spectrum, which consists of...

AES is a powerful analytical technique, especially effective when used with plasma sources, producing abundant spectra in characteristic emission lines. The Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP), in particular, yields superior quantitative analytical data due to its high stability, low noise, low background, and minimal interferences under optimal experimental conditions. However, newer air-operated microwave sources are emerging as promising alternatives that could be more cost-effective than...

The resolution of a mass spectrometer depends on the efficiency of separating ions with different ion masses. The mass of an atom is approximated to the sum of the masses of protons and neutrons inside, considering the masses of protons and neutrons as equal. However, the masses of the proton (1.6726 × 10−24 g) and neutron (1.6749 × 10−24 g) are not truly equal. There is a minor error in the expression of atomic masses relative to the simplest atom of hydrogen. For example, the mass of helium...

The mass analyzer is a crucial component of the mass spectrometer. In the ionization chamber, the vaporized sample is bombarded with a high-energy electron beam to generate a radical cation and further fragment into neutral molecules, radicals, and cations. A series of negatively charged accelerator plates accelerate the cations into the mass analyzer. The mass analyzer separates ions according to their mass-to-charge (m/z) ratios and then directs them to the detector. The common types of mass...

Inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (ICP–MS) is a highly selective and sensitive technique for accurate elemental analysis. Though the analysis of ICP–MS mass spectra is comparatively straightforward, it is affected by spectroscopic and non-spectroscopic interferences. Spectroscopic interferences arise when the plasma contains ionic species with an m/z value the same as the analyte ion. Spectroscopic interference can be categorized as isobaric, polyatomic ions, and refractory oxide ion...

Ideally, an unpaired electron shows a single peak in the EPR spectrum due to the transition between the two spin energy states. However, coupling interactions can occur between the spins of the unpaired electron and any neighboring spin-active nuclei. This hyperfine coupling results in hyperfine splitting, where the EPR signal is split into multiplets. The signals split into 2nI + 1 peaks, where n is the number of equivalent nuclei and I is the nuclear spin. These splitting patterns provide...