Frequently Asked Questions - Mercury containers, stability, and contamination from glass
I was looking at the two ICP-MS Hg standards (10 ppm) you offer. One in HNO3 and one in HCl. I noticed the HNO3 standard was in glass. Is there a reason for this? Do you see any issues for trace metal analysis that is running simultaneously on an ICP-MS? We run very low levels of metals with our Hg analysis on the ICP-MS and I’m concerned about the glass container. Thanks for your help!
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admin
Total posts: 529
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The Hg standard in HNO3 is packaged in glass as Hg can suffer adsorption effects (apparent loss) when stored in plastic containers in an HNO3 matrix (please seehttps://www.inorganicventures.com/mercury-chemical-stability for more information). The use of glass containers eliminates this concern but can add additional trace metal contaminants, with Na, B, Na, Al, Ca, and Ba being the most common metals leached (ppb concentrations) . It is possible to stabilize Hg in plastic containers when HNO3 is the matrix by adding an excess of AuCl3, but this approach is most generally applicable for Hg concentrations less than a few hundred ppb, with a corresponding AuCl3 concentration of 1-2 ppm.
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