Kinetic phosphorescence analysis to quantify europium and terbium

The ability to accurately quantify europium and terbium may be confounded by the presence of other lanthanides when using spectroscopic techniques such as optical emission spectroscopy, especially at microgram and sub microgram levels. Kinetic phosphorescence analysis (KPA) offers a method to avoid these interferences during measurement of trace levels. This study examined analysis parameters using KPA for europium and terbium by testing the effects of different acids, molarities, and the use of a complexing agent to determine the ideal conditions and limits of detection for each analyte in matrices containing various mixtures of lanthanides.