Determination Of Rare Earth Elements In Minerals And Soils By ICP-MS. Prior Separation By Ion Exchange

Leydis Leal Acosta¹, Juan Reinaldo Estevez Álvarez¹, Alfredo Montero Álvarez¹,
Zahily Herrero Fernández¹,³*, Manuel Rapado Paneque¹, Jorge Leydis Ramírez Suárez¹,
Iván Pupo González¹, Daniel Frías Fonseca¹, Waldo Lavaut Copa², José Araújo Dos Santos Júnior³

¹Centre for Technological Applications and Nuclear Development (CEADEN), 30 Street # 502 between
5ta and 7ma Ave., CP. 6122, Playa, Havana, (CUBA)
²Instituto de Geología y Paleontología (IGP), Vía Blanca # 1002 between Línea del Ferrocarril and
Carretera Central, San Miguel del Padrón, Havana, (CUBA)
³Federal University of Pernambuco, Department of Nuclear Energy (UFPE/DEN), Av. Prof. Luiz Freire,
1000, Cidade Universitaria, Recife, (BRAZIL)

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ABSTRACT – DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47204/ACI.1.1.2021.19-24

The great interest in rare earth elements (REE) is due to the multiple and valuable applications that these elements have in the science and economy of many countries. This entails the development of highly sensitive methods for the determination of REE in different geological matrices. However, procedures are generally required before the analysis of the separation/concentration of these elements. In the present work, model experiments are carried out to study the efficiency of separation of REE from Cr, Fe, Ni, platinoid elements and group II (alkaline-earth) by cation exchange in HCl medium. The final determination in the eluates was made by Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry (ICP-AES). The method developed was used in the REE analysis in 100 geological samples supplied by the Institute of Geology and Paleontology of the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MINEM). The determination of REE was performed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). An analysis of the results obtained is presented in the work.