Boron quantification using ion chromatography tandem triple quadrupole mass spectrometry. Application to retention analysis in boron-treated wood.

Boron compounds play a crucial role in various industries, and accurate quantification of boron is essential for quality control and environmental monitoring. This study presents a simple, rapid, and reliable method for determining boron in aqueous solutions using suppressed ion chromatography coupled to electrospray ionisation-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (IC-ESI-QqQ-MS). Boric acid (B(OH)) was retained as the tetrahydroxyborate ion (B(OH)) on a CarboPac PA300-4 μm anion-exchange column using isocratic elution with 40 mM KOH.