Development of a method based on inductively coupled plasma-dynamic reaction cell-mass spectrometry for the simultaneous determination of phosphorus, calcium and strontium in bone and dental tissue

A method, based on the use of a quadrupole-based inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry instrument equipped with a quadrupole-based collision/reaction cell (dynamic reaction cell, DRC), was developed for the simultaneous determination of phosphorus, calcium and strontium in bone and dental (enamel and dentine) tissue. The use of NH3, introduced at a gas flow rate of 0.8 mL min-1 in the dynamic reaction cell, combined with a rejection parameter q (RPq) setting of 0.65, allows interference-free determination of calcium via its low-abundant isotopes 42Ca, 43Ca and 44Ca, and of strontium via its isotopes 86Sr and 88Sr that are freed from overlap due to the occurrence of ArCa+ and/or Ca2+ ions. Also the determination of phosphorus (31P, mono-isotopic) was shown to be achievable using the same dynamic reaction cell operating conditions. The bone certified reference materials NIST SRM 1400 Bone Ash and NIST SRM 1486 Bone Meal were used for validation of the measurement protocol that was shown capable of providing accurate and reproducible results. Detection limits of P, Ca and Sr in dental tissue digests were established as 3 μg L-1 for P, 2 μg L-1 for Ca and 0.2 μg L-1 for Sr. This method can be used to simultaneously (i) evaluate the impact of diagenesis on the elemental and isotopic composition of buried skeletal tissue via its Ca/P ratio and (ii) determine its Sr concentration. The measurement protocol was demonstrated as fit-for-purpose by the analysis of a set of teeth of archaeological interest for their Ca/P ratio and Sr concentration.