Comparison of methodological strategies to determine Sr concentrations in Ca-rich matrices

Boonants, Tom (author), Snoeck, Christophe (author), Gerritzen, Carina (author), Črešnar, Matija (author), Leskovar, Tamara (author), Stipančić, Petra (author), Claeys, Philippe (author), Goderis, Steven (author)

Over the last few decades, there has been a steady increase in available analytical techniques and protocols in geochemical and bioarchaeological research to determine elemental concentrations. However, the validity of acquired results greatly depends on multiple factors, such as the sample matrix, pre-treatment protocols, the used analytical technique, appropriate standardization, calibration strategies, and the adequacy of the selected reference materials. Samples such as excavated skeletal remains prove to be particularly challenging to characterize using mass spectrometric techniques, as these require extensive pre-treatment procedures, and display a phosphate-rich, calcium (Ca)-heavy matrix, leading to potential interference effects upon ionization within the plasma. In this study, strontium (Sr) concentration analyses of 98 calcined archaeological bone samples are determined relying on HR-ICP-MS and ICP-QQQ-MS, using well-established concentration determination protocols. The applied procedures and HR-ICP-MS and ICP-QQQ-MS measurement routines are considered fully suited for the concentration determination of Sr in a Ca-heavy matrix, provided that Ca-normalizations of the acquired Sr data are carried out. It was found that the Sr concentration data from MC-ICP-MS correlate well with the data obtained relying on HR-ICP-MS and ICP-QQQ-MS, implying that MC-ICP-MS is also suited for Sr concentration determination in given sample matrices with the described procedures, saving both resources and time. The acquired data is also fully comparable with HR-ICP-MS and ICP-QQQ-MS data for Sr-isolated solutions, where the sample matrix was removed. The findings of this study, tested on cremated bone material, open up novel method development perspectives on other Ca-heavy samples, such as shells, speleothems, phosphate minerals and limestones.

• Language: English
• Keywords: Mass spectrometry, Matrix effects, HR-ICP-MS, ICP-QQQ-MS, MC-ICP-MS, Sr isolation, Mitigating matrix effects, Cremated bone material
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FF - Faculty of Arts
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: 14 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 232, Art. 107259
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-170960
• UDC: 544
• ISSN on article: 1873-3565
• DOI: 10.1016/j.sab.2025.107259
• COBISS.SI-ID: 243574787
• Publication date in RUL: 23.07.2025

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Spectrochimica acta. Part B, Atomic spectroscopy.
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 1873-3565
• COBISS.SI-ID: 175318275

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: masna spektrometrija, učinki matrice, HR-ICP-MS, ICP-QQQ-MS, MC-ICP-MS, izolacija stroncija, blaženje učinkov matrice, kremirano kostno gradivo

Projects

• Funder: EC - European Commission
• Project number: 948913
• Name: Landscape Use and Mobility In EuRopE - Bridging the gap between cremation and inhumation
• Acronym: LUMIERE

• Funder: Other - Other funder or multiple funders
• Funding programme: CRIME