Abstract
A fast and accurate procedure has been developed for the determination of uranium at μg L–1 level in tap and mineral water. The method is based on the direct introduction of samples, without any chemical pre-treatment, into an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS). Uranium was determined at the mass number 238 using Rh as internal standard. The method provides a limit of detection of 2 ng L–1 and a good repeatability with relative standard deviation values (RSD) about 3% for five independent analyses of samples containing 73 μg L–1 of uranium. Recovery percentage values found for the determination of uranium in spiked natural samples varied between 91% and 106%. Results obtained are comparable with those found by radiochemical methods for natural samples and of the same order for the certified content of a reference material, thus indicating the accuracy of the ICP-MS procedure without the need of using isotope dilution. A series of mineral and tap waters from different parts of Spain and Morocco were analysed.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Received: 14 October 1999 / Revised: 27 December 1999 / Accepted: 31 December 1999
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Himri, M., Pastor, A. & de la Guardia, M. Determination of uranium in tap water by ICP-MS. Fresenius J Anal Chem 367, 151–156 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1007/s002160051616
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s002160051616