Isolation of Nanoparticles from Soil and Dust and Their Study by Single Particle Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry

The study of natural and anthropogenic dust and soil nanoparticles is an urgent task of analytical chemistry and biogeochemistry, the solution of which requires the use of complementary separation and analysis methods. In this work, the existing approaches to the isolation of nanoparticles from natural polydisperse samples are summarized. Methods of extracting nanoparticles with aqueous solutions, a possibility of intensifying the process of extracting nanoparticles by an ultrasonic field, methods of cloud-point extraction, and also methods for purifying the separated fractions of nanoparticles from impurities of microparticles are considered. The advantages and disadvantages of these methods are evaluated. It is noted that the success of a study of soil and dust nanoparticles depends on the competent choice of a set of methods for isolating nanoparticles from polydisperse samples and their purification from microparticle impurities, as well as methods for the characterization and elemental analysis of nanoparticles. Particular attention is paid to single particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry as a promising method for determining the concentration, size distribution, and elemental composition of nanoparticles.