Identification of Multiple Rare Earths and Other Associated Elements in Zircon by Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy

Abstract

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), which is a powerful technique for the detection of minor and trace elements in a sample, has been used to analyze the enriched zircon mineral collected from the beach sands of southern Bangladesh. In addition to zirconium, a large number of rare earth elements viz. cerium, lanthanum, praseodymium, neodymium, ytterbium, gadolinium, dysprosium, erbium, samarium, europium, holmium and yttrium and other associated elements like hafnium, niobium, tantalum, magnesium, calcium, sodium, titanium and iron along with non-metals like phosphorus and silicon were detected in the enriched zircon samples by the LIBS technique. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that multiple rare earth elements have been identified in natural zircon by LIBS.

Journal of Bangladesh Academy of Sciences, Vol. 44, No. 1, 59-68, 2020