Direct Determination of Rare Earth Impurities in High-Purity Neodymium Oxide with the NexION 5000 ICP-MS | PerkinElmer
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Direct Determination of Rare Earth Impurities

Application Note

Direct Determination of Rare Earth Impurities in High-Purity Neodymium Oxide with the NexION 5000 ICP-MS

Direct Determination of Rare Earth Impurities

Introduction

Since the purity of the rare earth elements (REEs) governs their efficacy and the price, it is of great interest to produce ultra-high purity rare earth oxides. Neodymium oxide (Nd2O3) is one such REE and is mainly used as a colorant for glass and ceramics, a raw material for the manufacture of metallic neodymium as well as a raw material for a strong magnetic alloy of neodymium-iron-boron.

This work demonstrates the ability of the NexION® 5000 Multi-Quadrupole ICP-MS to accurately and directly measure 14 REE impurities in high-concentration, high-purity Nd2O3. Leveraging the combination of the NexION 5000’s true-quadrupole Universal Cell, multi-quadrupole technology as well as the ability to use pure reaction gases (like ammonia and oxygen), polyatomic interferences were eliminated, ensuring accurate results.