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APPLICATION NOTE

Nickel Sulphide Ore – OREAS 74b

SUMMARY

The application note summarizes the digestion of OREAS 74b, a nickel sulphide ore, using ColdBlock™ Digestion Pro Series Technology.

Instrument: ColdBlock CBM Pro Series, chiller, ICP-OES
Published: June 2025
Digestion Time: 35 Minutes
Acid Used: HNO3, HCl, HF & H3BO3
Average ColdBlock Recovery vs. CRM:
  • 95% arsenic
  • 96% cobalt
  • 101% nickel

METHODOLOGY

1. Set the chiller temperature to -5°C.
2. Weigh 0.25 g of each sample and transfer into a ColdBlock™ Digestion vessel
3. Add 20 mL of aqua regia (add HNO3 first, followed by HCl) and 3 mL of HF to each vessel.
4. Digest samples at 80% power for 20 minutes.
5. Add 25 mL of 4% boric acid (w/v) to each sample.
6. Digest samples again at 80% power for 10 minutes.
7. Add 5 mL of HCl.
8. Digest at 100% power for 5 minutes.
9. Cool the samples and adjust the volume to 50 mL with DI water

DISCUSSION

  • The addition of boric acid aids in the re-solubilization of insoluble fluorides and neutralizes residual hydrofluoric acid (HF). This step is crucial for sample dissolution and minimizing analyte loss during digestion.
  • Following the digestion process, the samples were visibly clear, indicating that the majority sample matrix had dissolved. A trace amount of sample material settled on the bottom of the tube overnight.

Reference material OREAS 74b is one of a suite of seven nickel sulphide CRMs prepared from high grade massive nickel sulphide ore and barren ultramafic material sourced from Xstrata Nickel’s Prospero and Tapinos Nickel mines, located in Western Australia within the Agnew-Wiluna portion of the Norseman-Wiluna greenstone belt.
OREAS 74b; Nickel Sulphide Ore; OREAS, Ore Research & Exploration Pty; Victoria, Australia (October 2011) Certificate of Analysis. Retrieved from www.oreas.com/

Results

Nickel Sulphide Ore – OREAS 74b

Method:

0.25g – Add 20mL aqua regia + 3mL HF and digest at 80% power for 20 minutes. Add 25mL of 4% boric acid w/v and digest again at 80% power for 10 minutes.
Add 5mL HCl, and digest again for 5 minutes. Let cool, and adjust the volume to 50mL with DI water.

Element

OREAS Certified 4-Acid Values

ColdBlock Average

ColdBlock SD +/–

ColdBlock RSD

ColdBlock Recovery vs Certified Value

Ag (ppm)

0.568

<1

N/A

N/A

N/A

Al (%)

3.58

3.63

0.05

1.4%

101%

As (ppm)

603

584

14.4

2.5%

97%

Ba (ppm)

213

222

2.04

0.9%

104%

Bi (ppm)

1.35

<5

N/A

N/A

N/A

Ca (%)

3.07

3.26

0.03

0.9%

106%

Cd (ppm)

0.60

<1

N/A

N/A

N/A

Co (ppm)

490

488

4.77

1.0%

100%

Cu (ppm)

998

1046

12.05

1.2%

105%

Fe (%)

12.32

12.74

0.21

1.6%

103%

K (%)

0.729

0.740

0.01

1.4%

102%

Li (ppm)

27.7

27.9

0.3

1.1%

101%

Mg (%)

9.31

9.59

0.18

1.9%

103%

Mn (%)

0.091

0.09

0.001

1.1%

99%

Na (%)

0.719

0.720

0.02

2.8%

100%

Ni (%)

3.38

3.40

0.03

0.9%

101%

P (%)

0.0191

<0.02

N/A

N/A

N/A

Pb (ppm)

24.9

25.5

1.50

5.9%

102%

S (%)

6.57

6.58

0.08

1.2%

100%

Sb (ppm)

2.69

<5

N/A

N/A

N/A

Sr (ppm)

56.1

58.1

0.63

1.1%

104%

V (ppm)

60.7

63.2

0.71

1.1%

104%

Zn (ppm)

136

132

1.65

1.3%

97%

Zr (ppm)

65

64

0.71

1.1%

98%

Click here to download the Application Note in PDF format.

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