Abstract:In view of the interference problem caused by the matrix in the determination of impurity elements during the testing process of high-purity tantalum, a Matrix Separation-Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (MS) method was developed to measure the content of impurity elements in high-purity tantalum. After wet digestion, the samples were subjected to matrix separation, which effectively eliminated the mass spectrometric interference of the tantalum matrix on impurities. This method examined the interference scenarios of several influencing factors, including matrix interference ranging from 0 to 1000 ng/mL, instrument power from 0.8 to 1.4 kW, sampling depth from 5 to 9 mm, plasma gas flow rate from 7.5 to 12 L/min, and nebulizer gas flow rate from 0.6 to 1.1 L/min, and subsequently determined the optimal analytical conditions. The results demonstrated that under the conditions of matrix separation, with an RF power of 1.36 kW, a sampling depth of 5 mm, a plasma gas flow rate of 9.0 L/min, and a nebulizer gas flow rate of 0.88 L/min, the instrument achieved its optimal analytical and testing state. In this state, the correlation coefficients of the calibration curve equations for both Ni and B exceeded 0.999. The Limits of Detection (LOD) were calculated to be 0.3 ng/g and 1.2 ng/g for Ni and B, respectively. The spiked recoveries ranged from 96% to 105%, and the relative standard deviations (RSD) of sample testing were less than 3% (n = 10). This method features a low limit of detection, and high accuracy, making it highly suitable for the rapid quantitative determination of Ni and B impurity elements in high-purity tantalum.