Determination of trace impurities in high purity gold by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry with prior matrix removal by electrodeposition

A novel method for the determination of 11 trace impurities (Be, Mg, Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ag, Pd, Sn and Pb) in high purity gold with a combination of electrochemical deposition separation and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometric measurement was investigated. In the present study, an efficient separation procedure was developed to remove the gold matrix by the electrodepositon method on the basis of the difference in reduction potential of gold and the other trace impurities. The effects of deposition potential, deposition time and composition of the electrolyte on the separation efficiency were studied. According to our experimental results, most impurities, except for silver, can remain in the electrolyte and the interference from gold can be completely removed through the application of electrodeposition at suitable potential. To achieve simultaneous separation of silver from the gold matrix, a unique complexation reaction between silver ions and ammonia ions was successfully employed to alter the reduction potential of silver ion. By way of a suitable adjustment of the deposition potential and the composition of electrolytes, the spike recoveries of 11 interesting impurities were found to be in the range of 85–105%. The limit of detection (based on the 3-σ criterion) of these elements was 10−1–10−2 μg g−1. The applicability of the proposed method has also been validated by the analysis of high purity gold reference materials (FAU9 and FAU11, Royal Canadian Mint). Comparing with the certified values, the recoveries of interesting elements were found to be in the range of 82–118% through the use of proposed method.