Determination of Rare Earth Elements Concentrations in Natural Waters - A Review of ICP-MS Measurement Approaches

Since the rare earth elements (REEs) determination in waters is still not a routine procedure, different analytical protocols have been developed to deal with complexity and variability of sample matrices, problems caused by spectral and non-spectral interferences, insufficient instruments sensitivity, potential contamination and lack of certified reference materials. The aim of this work is to review the current measurement approaches given for REEs total concentrations in natural water samples, including surface and groundwaters as well as rain water and Antarctic ice. As inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) has become the most widely employed technique for analysis of trace concentrations of REEs in aqueous samples it has been intended to present the common issues affecting the measurement results. Apart from a sample preparation step, various configurations of mass spectrometers and sample introduction systems, means of interferences elimination or correction, and calibration strategies used in analytical approaches for REEs analysis are discussed and compared.