Analysis of inorganic elements in Guizhi Fuling Capsules by ICP-MS / 中草药

ABSTRACT

Objective: To establish a method for the simultaneous analysis of 29 inorganic elements in Guizhi Fuling Capsules (GFC), including Li, Be, B, Na, Mg, Al, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, As, Se, Sr, Mo, Cd, Sn, Sb, Ba, Hg, Tl, Pb, and Bi. Methods: The sample of GFC was digested by microwave with concentrated nitric acid, calibrated by internal standard elements, such as Ge and In, with bush branches and leaves as the controlled reference standard, and inlet into ICP-MS to analyze the contents of 29 inorganic elements. Results: The detection limits and quantification limits of the 29 elements were in the range of 0.012—4.105 μg/L and 0.045—14.500 μg/L. The 29 trace elements showed the good linearity in the selected concentration ranges (r ≥ 0.999 4), with the average recovery from 79.88% to 105.76%, while their RSD was below 4.55%. In the 12 batches of samples, the quantities of Ca, Na, and Mg were higher than 300 μg/g. The quantities of Fe, Mn, and Sr were also relatively high, while the amount of Be, As, Cd, Sb, Hg, Tl, and Bi was relatively low, which was below 0.030 μg/g. Conclusion: The method is simple, rapid, and accurate, and can be used for the quality control of trace elements and heavy metals in GFC.