Vacuum technology in the production of thin films: W Espe, Feinwerktechnik, 70 (1 and 2), 1966, 2–8, 57–64 (in German)

Abstract

This chapter presents the fundamental theory and scope of the stable isotope dilution mass-spectrometry (MSID) method. It describes the chemical preparation and the mass spectrometry of the samples, and explains data calculation and quality. MSID is the most accurate technique for determining lanthanide abundances in geochemical materials. The superior quality of the method may be attributed principally to the inherent sensitivity of mass-spectrometers, and to the use of the ideal internal standard—namely, an artificially enriched isotope of each element to be determined. The utilization of isotopic internal standards virtually eliminates potential analytical problems, such as quantitative recovery and instrument calibration. The sensitivity of the mass spectrometer is such that the lower limit of measurable abundance is usually controlled by the purity of the reagents used in preparing the sample for analysis.