Characterisation of an Ombrotrophic Peat Bog Candidate Reference Material By High-Resolution and Quadrupole ICP-MS

Peat bogs have been shown to be valuable archives of atmospheric metal deposition[1] but because of the complex nature of the matrix, there is a strong need for reference materials for adequate quality control. Leachates and digests of the material were analysed using Quadrupole and Sector Field ICP-MS. The analytical figures of merit obtained for a suite of heavy metals are presented with a discussion on interference and blank control. Finally the results from the two instruments are compared to demonstrate agreement where obtained, and the suitability of one technique over the other is discussed where interferences are high, or a high total dissolved solid content is required to detect the target analytes.