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OVERVIEW
High Precision Determination of Major Precious Metal Components Using ICP-OES and the Bracketing Technique
Usually, ICP-OES is used for the determination of minor and trace elements. If main components need to be determined, a strong focus is placed on the precision of the measurement. Particularly in the research of modern materials, a very precise analysis is increasingly required because the stoichiometric composition of alloys influences the properties of a material. In the jewelry industry, an exact analysis has been a requirement for a long time. The precious metals content is the main factor for their monetary value. Therefore, it needs to be most accurately determined when trading precious metals or precious metal products.
Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES) can be used perfectly for the precise determination of major compounds. A special technique for high-precision measurements has been developed by the precious metals industry for the determination of the composition of jewelry alloys. This bracketing technique is described in the ISO standards 11494 and 11495. The bracketing principle can also be used for the analysis of other major compounds in general, where high precision and accuracy is required. The following report describes the basic approach of analyzing major compounds according to ISO 11495, as well as the implementation of the bracketing technique using the ICP Analyzer Pro software.
Analysis of Impurities in High-Purity Precious Metals With Axial Plasma Observation
The purity of precious metals is the main factor for their monetary value. Therefore, it needs to be most accurately determined when trading precious metals or precious metal products whereby contents of up to 99 % are determined with ICP-OES following the bracketing method (EN ISO 11494, 11495). For high-purity gold and platinum, the determination of the precious metal content is done with a difference method. Here the impurities are measured, and the purity of the precious metal is calculated by a subtraction of all measured impurities.
Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES) can be perfectly used for the analysis of impurities in precious metals. Due to its multi-element capability - large linear dynamic range and high sensitivity - it is the recommended analytical procedure for the analysis of contamination traces in high purity gold and platinum. The application is described in the ISO standard 15093.
This report describes the principle methodology for the analysis of trace elements in precious metals. It presents typical detection limits for a wide range of elements as well as studies on accuracy.
ICP-OES remains an essential tool in various industries for precise elemental analysis, making it invaluable for quality control, research, and compliance testing. Its ability to detect trace elements in materials, such as gold, with high accuracy and sensitivity ensures its continued importance in analytical chemistry.