The application of isotope dilution thermal ionization mass spectrometry to traceability of chemical measurement and interlaboratory comparisons

Abstract

In this work, the method of isotope dilution thermal ionization mass spectrometry able to trace to SI was developed to accurately measure trace amount of Cd, Pb, Zn and Cu in sediment, rice, wine, and human serum samples for interlaboratory comparisons. The research focuses on how to apply the primary method correctly, uncertainty evaluation of measurement results, and how to achieve the meaning of traceability to SI by using ID-TIMS. As a result, the measurement results of Cu and Zn in the human serum 1 and 2 with 0.94, 0.83 and 0.49% combined uncertainty, respectively, were accepted by EC-JRC-IRMM as the certified values of the serum samples. The measurement results of Cd and Pb in CCQM-K13 and CCQM-K24 with 3.96, 1.62 and 1.03% combined uncertainty, respectively, are within the degrees of the equivalence. These comparisons at the highest level of measurement are proof that traceability of chemical measurement can be achieved as the traceability chain of ID-TIMS established in this work was used.