Quantitative Analysis of Sulfide Minerals by Laser Ablation-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry Using Glass Reference Materials with Matrix Normalization Plus Sulfur Internal Standardization Calibration

Abstract A novel strategy for microanalysis of sulfides by LA-ICP-MS was established. This method took the relative sensitivity factor of Ca relative to S in anhydrite mineral reference material as a transition bridge, by which the relative sensitivity factors of interesting elements in glass reference materials relative to Ca could be converted into relative sensitivity factors relative to sulfide by the transition bridge and the quantitative analysis of multi-elements in sulfide minerals by multi-glass reference materials with matrix normalization plus sulfur internal standardization calibration. Twenty elements in the American multi-metal sulfide mineral reference material MASS-1 were analyzed using this method. The relative errors of major elements in MASS-1 were less than 10%, and the results of trace elements with reference values were nearly within the uncertainty of the preliminary values. The multi-elements in 12 sulfide single minerals were analyzed by applying this new method. The relative errors of the greatest number of major elements were less than 10%, which showed the results of most major elements were more accurate than those obtained by MASS-1 as calibration standard with matrix normalization plus internal standardization or internal standard calibration (chosen sulphur as an internal standard element). The trace element results agreed well with the calibrated results by MASS-1 with matrix normalization plus internal standardization or internal standard calibration. This method solved the problem of non-matrix matched standards, enabled accurate determination of the major composition of sulfur in sulfide minerals, and suggested a new approach for the analysis of sulfide minerals.