Quantitative Analysis of Sulfide Minerals by Laser Ablation- Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry Using Glass Reference Materials with Matrix Normalization Plus Sulfur Internal Standardization Calibration

A novel strategy for microanalysis of sulfides by laser ablation(LA)-ICP-MS was established.In this method,the relative sensitivity factor of Ca relative to S in anhydrite mineral reference material was taken as a transition bridge,by which the relative sensitivity factors of interesting elements in glass reference materials relative to Ca could be converted into relative sensitivity factors relative to S by the transition bridge,then the quantitative analysis of multi-elements in sulfide minerals by multi-glass reference materials with matrix normalization plus sulfur internal standardization calibration was carried out.20 elements in the American polymetal sulfide mineral reference material MASS-1 were analyzed using this new method.The relative errors of major elements in MASS-1 were less than 10%,and the results of trace elements with reference values were nearly within the uncertainty of the preliminary values.Multi-elements in 12 sulfide single minerals were analyzed by applying this new method.The relative errors of the greatest number of major elements were less than 10%,with which the results of most major elements were accurate than those obtained by MASS-1 as calibration standard with matrix normalization plus internal standardization or internal standard calibration.And the results to trace elements agreed well with the calibrated results by MASS-1 with matrix normalization plus internal standardization or internal standard calibration.This method overcomes the problem of non-matrix matched standards,enables to accurately determine the major composition of sulfur in sulfide minerals and suggests a new approach for analysis of sulfide minerals.