Chemical equilibria of rare earth oxides in glow-discharge mass spectrometry

Thesis/Dissertation · Wed Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1992

OSTI ID:5721048

Mei, Y

This research centers around method development and fundamental exploration of the rare earth elements (REE) in glow discharge mass spectrometry (GDMS). The capability of GDMS to analyze directly solids materials eliminates the sample dissolution and preconcentration steps required by many other methods. The simplicity of sample preparation and instrumental operation makes GDMS a promising analytical technique for the field of earth science. Initial studies were dedicated to improving the detection sensitivity of GDMS in analyzing the REE. This was accomplished by eliminating water contamination, a factor that was found to prevent the conversion of the rare earth oxidized to their atomic form in the glow discharge plasma. Methods experimented for water elimination included the uses of both a cryogenic cooling device and getter reagents. When used to determine the REE concentrations in a standard rock sample, the chemical elimination approach yielded comparable results to that obtained by other analytical methods. Further studies focused on probing the chemical reactions involving the REE and other plasma constituents in the glow discharge. It is proposed that the availability of the atomic REE in the glow discharge is strongly influenced by the oxidant and reductant contents in the plasma. Species that contain oxygen tend to shift the redox equilibria of REE toward the formation of their oxides, whereas species that compete for oxygen help reduce the oxidant content in the plasma, and shift the REE redox equilibria toward the formation of the REE atoms. Factors that govern the reaction processes of the REE equilibria were investigated by means of plasma reagent introduction and time-resolved discharge operation. Results indicate that while redox equilibria between the elemental REE and their monoxides exist on the cathode surface and in the gas phase, interactions occurring in the gas phase are probably the main paths for this equilibration in the glow discharge.

• Research Organization: Florida State Univ., Tallahassee, FL (United States)
• OSTI ID: 5721048
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
400102* -- Chemical & Spectral Procedures
400201 -- Chemical & Physicochemical Properties
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
ELECTRIC DISCHARGES
EQUILIBRIUM
GLOW DISCHARGES
MASS SPECTRA
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
RARE EARTH COMPOUNDS
SAMPLE PREPARATION
SENSITIVITY
SPECTRA