DIN 19741:2012-01

The elements platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd) and rhodium (Rh) are the platinum group elements (PGE) which are most common in the environment due to use in catalytic converters in vehicles.
Since the mid-80s, these elements are installed into catalytic converters to reduce carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide which inevitably results in an enrichment of the PGE in the environment, in particular in shoulder materials as well as in soils close to motorways.
The methods documented in this standard describe procedures for the determination of platinum, palladium and rhodium contents in soils, soil materials and sludges by inductively coupled plasma/mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The standard validated by inter-laboratory testing covers a description of sample preparation, handling of equipment, sample analysis as well as interpretation of results.
Quantitative analysis of the elements Pt, Pd and Rh is carried out after trace enrichment with tellurium. This involves separation of the disturbing matrix elements. The solutions obtained are analyzed for their Pt, Pd and Rh concentrations by ICP-MS on the basis of DIN EN ISO 17294-2:2007.
In order to ensure data quality, each analysis series contains both blank readings as well as representative samples with known PGE contents. The analysis values achieved by this analysis can be used for both qualitative as well as quantitative evaluation of these elements in soils and soil materials.
Committee NA 119-01-02-02-41 AK "Platingruppenelemente" ("Platinum group elements") of Working Committee NA 119-01-02-02 UA "Chemische und physikalische Verfahren" ("Chemical and physical processes") of the Water Practice Standards Committee (NAW) at DIN is responsible for the revision of this standard. The work has been funded by the Länderfinanzierungsprogramm "Wasser, Boden und Abfall" (federal funding programme "Water, soil and waste").