Determination of major and rare earth elements in bastnasite ores by ICP-AES

Analytical procedure for direct determination of La, Ce, Sm, Eu, Y, Yb, Pr, and Nd by ICP-AES in bastnasite ores without need for the initial separation or preconcentration of the rare earth elements (REEs), has been developed. Besides, rare earth elements, five major elements (Al, Ca, Ba, Fe, and Mg) were also measured. Two standard reference materials (GSP-2 and STM1 purchased from the U.S. Geological Survey) were selected to test the accuracy of the method. Good agreement was generally achieved. Based on these experiments it appeared that direct ICP-AES method should be attractive and well suited for the routine determination of REEs in rare earth ores.