X-ray fluorescence determination of lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, and neodymium in technological solutions after preconcentration on DETATA cellulose filters

Sorption of some rare earth elements on filters with immobilized diethylenetriaminetetraacetate (DETATA) groups was studied. It was shown that the elements are quantitatively extracted from solutions with volume of 20–500 mL at pH values ranging between 3.5 and 5.5 and a flow rate from 1 to 8 mL/min. It was proposed to use masking agents such as sulfosalicylic acid and 1,10-phenanthroline for extracting elements from iron-containing solutions. The elements were determined directly on filters by X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. The calibration dependences were shown to be linear in the concentration range from 2 to 100 μg of rare earth element per filter. The limits of detection of La, Ce, Pr, and Nd calculated on the basis of the 3s criterion in the case of extraction from 100 mL solutions were 0.03, 0.03, 0.01 and 0.01 μg/mL, respectively. © 2016, Allerton Press, Inc.