Analysis of platinum powder by glow discharge mass spectrometry

A study was carried out to evaluate the applicability of glow discharge mass spectrometry (GDMS) for the direct analysis of platinum powder. The relative sensitivity factors (RSF) for the different elements of interest were determined by the analysis of Pt samples doped with impurities of several elements in a broad concentration range. These RSFs were used to quantify the results obtained for the analysis of a well characterized Pt powder. The investigation illustrated that an accuracy of about 10–15% and a repeatability of 5–10% are achievable with GDMS for this sample type. The analytical figures of merit of GDMS were compared with those of other spectrometric techniques normally applied for the determination of platinum. The simple sample preparation, sensitivity and speed of analysis were found to be valuable assets of GDMS.