Determination of rare earth elements, Y and Sc in Al-, Fe-and U-matrix solutions

The determination of rare earth elements, yttrium, and scandium in aluminium sulfate waste solutions by glow discharge mass spectrometry is described. The method is compared with the determination by OES-ICP following separation on the Dowex 50W-X(H) ion exchanger. The detection limits were below 0.01 mg/l for nearly all of the rare earth elements. The relative error of determination of the individual elements is 3.2% for the OES-ICP method and 30% for the mass spectrometry method, which is satisfactory for the amounts quantitated. (Z.S.). 5 tabs