Simultaneous Determination of Zn(II), Cu(II), Cd(II) and Pb(II) in Soil Samples Employing an Array of Potentiometric Sensors and an Artificial Neural Network Model

A sensor array of 9 potentiometric PVC sensors has been employed for the simultaneous determination of heavy metals in soil. Sensors were firstly characterized in their response: Nernstian behavior, a concentration range from ca. 10^?6 to 10^?2 M and selectivity coefficients confirming that all sensors had cross‐response for the target ions. The mixed response system was modeled employing Artificial Neural Networks. The proposed tool was applied to the determination of Pb²⁺, Cd²⁺, Cu²⁺ and Zn²⁺ in soils at the mg kg^?1 level with satisfactory performance. Results were compared and validated against AAS reference methodology, with correlations R²>0.948 for the four heavy metals considered.     

Simultaneous determination of lead(II) and cadmium(II) at a diacetyldioxime modified carbon paste electrode by differential pulse stripping voltammetry

A simple and effective chemically modified carbon paste electrode (CMCPE) for the simultaneous determination of lead(II) and cadmium(II) was developed in this work. The electrode was prepared by the addition of diacetyldioxime into a carbon paste mixture. Pb²⁺ and Cd²⁺ were preconcentrated on the surface of the modified electrode by complexing with diacetyldioxime and reduced at a negative potential (−1.10 V). Then the reduced products were oxidized by differential pulse stripping. The fact that two stripping peaks appeared on the voltammograms at the potentials of −0.65 V (Cd²⁺) and −0.91 V (Pb²⁺) demonstrates the possibility of simultaneous determination of Pb²⁺ and Cd²⁺. Under the optimized working conditions, calibration graphs were linear in the concentration ranges of 1.0×10⁻⁷-1.5×10⁻⁵ mol l⁻¹ (Pb²⁺) and 2.5×10⁻⁷-2.5×10⁻⁵ mol l⁻¹ (Cd²⁺), respectively. For 5 min preconcentration, detection limits of 1×10⁻⁸ mol l⁻¹ (Pb²⁺) and 4×10⁻⁸ mol l⁻¹ (Cd²⁺) were obtained at the signal noise ratio (SNR) of 3. To evaluate the reproducibility of the newly developed electrode, the measurements of 5×10⁻⁷ mol l⁻¹ Pb²⁺ and Cd²⁺ were parallel carried out for six times at different electrodes and the relative standard deviations were 2.9% (Pb²⁺) and 3.2% (Cd²⁺), respectively. Interferences by some metals were investigated. Only Ni²⁺ and Hg²⁺ apparently affected the peak currents of Pb²⁺ and Cd²⁺. The diacetyldioxime modified carbon paste electrode was applied to the determination of Pb²⁺ and Cd²⁺ in water samples. The results indicate that this electrode is sensitive and effective for the simultaneous determination of Pb²⁺ and Cd²⁺.     

Investigation of Cd(II), Pb(II) and Cu(I) complexation by glutathione and its component amino acids by ESI-MS and size exclusion chromatography coupled to ICP-MS and ESI-MS

The elucidation of structures of glutathione (GSH) complexes play an important role in the fundamental understanding of biochemical pathways of metal ion deactivation in plants. This article attempts to feature key studies for stoichiometry of metal complexes with glutathione and its constituent amino acids to obtain a better understanding of the different metal affinities of the complexation sites of glutathione. The SEC-ICP-MS experiments have indicated that oxidation process of glutathione was accelerated by metal ion presence in following order Cu⁺, Pb²⁺ and Cd²⁺. The redox activity of metal ions was confirmed by ESI-MS experiments, which allowed to observe formation of glutathione disulphide (GSSG) in time. The stoichiometry of Cd²⁺, Cu⁺ and Pb²⁺ complexes with GSH was defined by observing the isotope pattern of investigated metals and hydrogen loss or transfer during binding. The complexes with metal bound to sulphur of 1:1 and 1:2 stoichiometry were found in case of cadmium and lead. The number of hydrogen atoms lost during metal binding and the SEC-ESI-MS results allowed to elucidate that copper is bound by GSSG in ratio 1:1 and 1:2. Additionally, size exclusion chromatography coupled to electrospray MS allowed to differentiate more stable complexes from weak ones that could be created in the gas phase.     

Silver nanoparticle loaded on activated carbon and activated carbon modified with 2-(4-isopropylbenzylideneamino)thiophenol (IPBATP) as new sorbents for trace metal ions enrichment

The efficiencies and performances of silver nanoparticle loaded activated carbon modified with 2-(4-isopropylbenzylideneamino)thiophenol (IPBATP-Ag-NP-AC) and activated carbon modified with IPBATP (IPBATP-AC), as new sorbents, were evaluated for separation and preconcentration of Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺, Co²⁺, Cd²⁺ and Pb²⁺ ions from real environmental samples. The retained metals content was reversibly eluted using 5?mL of CH₃COOH (6.0?mol?L^?1) and/or 10?mL of 4.0?mol?L^?1 HNO₃ for IPBATP-Ag-NP-AC and IPBATP-AC, respectively. The experimental parameters influence the recoveries of metal ions including pH, amounts of ligand and supports, condition of eluents, sample and eluent flow rates of has been investigated. The preconcentration factors were found to be 100 for Zn²⁺, Cd²⁺, Co²⁺, Cu²⁺ and 50 for Pb²⁺ ions using IPBATP-Ag-NP-AC, and 50 for Zn²⁺, Cd²⁺, Co²⁺, Cu²⁺ and 25 for Pb²⁺ ions using IPBATP-AC. The detection limit of both SPE-based sorbents was between 1.6–2.5?ng?mL^?1 for IPBATP-AC and 1.3–2.5?ng?mL^?1 for IPBATP-Ag-NP-AC. The proposed methods have been successfully applied for the extraction and determination of the understudy metal ions content in some real samples with extraction efficiencies higher than 90% and relative standard deviations (RSD) lower than 2.4%.     

Surface Modification of Gold by Quercetin Monolayer for the Electrochemical Determination of Copper(II)

A quercetin monolayer has been prepared on top of the self‐assembled 3‐mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) layer for the copper ion determination. Cu²⁺ ions are readily accumulated on this modified electrode through the complex formation and electrochemically detected. With a quercetin layer, the redox process of Cu²⁺ became more reversible than at the MPA‐modified electrode. Complexation sites in MPA and quercetin were occupied within five min when the electrode was immersed in 10 μM Cu²⁺ solution. The MPA and quercetin layers were stable enough to allow repeated EDTA treatment to remove adsorbed Cu²⁺ for the surface regeneration. Only 7% decrease was found after ten times regeneration and use. Linear current response was found over the concentration range of 1 nM and 10 μM with detection limit of 0.1 nM. Common interfering ions such as Cd²⁺, Zn²⁺, and Fe^2+/3+ did not show any electrochemical response in the potential range of Cu²⁺ determination.     

Removal of Cd(II), Cu(II), and Pb(II) by adsorption onto natural clay: a kinetic and thermodynamic study

In this work, we study the elimination of three bivalent metal ions (Cd²⁺, Cu²⁺, and Pb²⁺) by adsorption onto natural illitic clay (AM) collected from Marrakech region in Morocco. The characterization of the adsorbent was carried out by X-ray fluorescence, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. The influence of physicochemical parameters on the clay adsorption capacity for ions Cd²⁺, Cu²⁺, and Pb²⁺, namely the adsorbent dose, the contact time, the initial pH imposed on the aqueous solution, the initial concentration of the metal solution and the temperature, was studied. The adsorption process is evaluated by different kinetic models such as the pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, and Elovich. The adsorption mechanism was determined by the use of adsorption isotherms such as Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin models. Experiments have shown that heavy metals adsorption kinetics onto clay follows the same order, the pseudo-second order. The isotherms of adsorption of metal cations by AM clay are satisfactorily described by the Langmuir model and the maximum adsorption capacities obtained from the natural clay, using the Langmuir isotherm model equation, are 5.25, 13.41, and 15.90 mg/g, respectively for Cd(II), Cu(II), and Pb(II) ions. Adsorption of heavy metals on clay is a spontaneous and endothermic process characterized by a disorder of the medium. The values of ΔH are greater than 40 kJ/mol, which means that the interactions between clay and heavy metals are chemical in nature.     

Ordered Mesoporous Carbon and Thiolated Polyaniline Modified Electrode for Simultaneous Determination of Cadmium(II) and Lead(II) by Anodic Stripping Voltammetry

The fabrication and evaluation of a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) modified with ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC), 2‐mercaptoethanesulfonate (MES)‐tethered polyaniline (PANI) and bismuth for simultaneous determination of trace Cd²⁺ and Pb²⁺ by differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry (DPASV) are presented here. The morphology and electrochemical properties of the fabricated electrode were respectively characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Experimental parameters such as PANI disposition, preconcentration potential, preconcentration time and bismuth concentration were optimized. Under optimum conditions, the fabricated electrode exhibited linear calibration curves ranged from 1 to 120 nM for Cd²⁺ and Pb²⁺. The limits of detection (LOD) were 0.26 nM for Cd²⁺ and 0.16 nM for Pb²⁺ (S/N=3), respectively. Additionally, repeatability, reproducibility, interference and application were also investigated, and the proposed electrode exhibited excellent performance. The proposed method could be extended for the development of other new sensors for heavy metal determination.     

Competitive heavy metal removal by poly(2‐acrylamido‐2‐methyl‐1‐propane sulfonic acid‐co‐itaconic acid)

The competitive removal of Pb²⁺, Cu²⁺, and Cd²⁺ ions from aqueous solutions by the copolymer of 2‐acrylamido‐2‐methyl‐1‐propane sulfonic acid (AMPS) and itaconic acid (IA), P(AMPS‐co‐IA), was investigated. Homopolymer of AMPS (PAMPS) was also used to remove these ions from their aqueous solution. In the preparation of AMPS–IA copolymer, the molar percentages of AMPS and IA were 80 and 20, respectively. In order to observe the changes in the structures of polymers due to metal adsorption, FTIR spectra by attenuated total reflectancetechnique and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) pictures of the polymers were taken both before and after adsorption experiments. Total metal ion removal capacities of PAMPS and P(AMPS‐co‐IA) were 1.685 and 1.722 mmol Me²⁺/g_polymer, respectively. Experimental data were evaluated to determine the kinetic characteristics of the adsorption process. Competitive adsorption of Pb²⁺, Cu²⁺, and Cd²⁺ ions onto both PAMPS and P(AMPS‐co‐IA) was found to fit pseudo‐second‐order type kinetics. In addition, the removal orders in the competitive adsorption of these metal ions onto PAMPS and P(AMPS‐co‐IA) were found to be Cd²⁺ > Pb²⁺ > Cu²⁺ and Pb²⁺ > Cd²⁺ > Cu²⁺, respectively. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Quantitative Trennung von Schwermetallen mit Chelataustauschern auf der Basis von Polystyrol

Zusammenfassung Die Trennung und Isolierung von folgenden Schwermetallen bei einem hohen Überschuß an Fremdionen mit Hilfe neuer selektiver Chelataustauscher wird beschrieben: Cu²⁺/Zn²⁺, Cu²⁺/Pb²⁺, Ag⁺/Cu²⁺, Ag⁺/Pb²⁺, Hg²⁺/Zn²⁺, Hg²⁺/Cd²⁺; Abtrennung von Hg²⁺. Unter gleichen Bedingungen war mit dem handelsüblichen Austauscher Dowex A-1 keine Trennung möglich.

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Quantitative separation of heavy metals by means of chelating exchangers based on polystyrol

Summary The separation and isolation of the following heavy metals in presence of a high excess of foreign ions by means of new selective chelating exchangers is described: Cu²⁺/Zn²⁺, Cu²⁺/Pb²⁺, Ag⁺/Cu²⁺, Ag⁺/Pb²⁺, Hg²⁺/Zn²⁺, Hg²⁺/Cd²⁺; separation of Hg²⁺. Under the same conditions no separation could be achieved by the ion-exchanger Dowex A-1.

     

Nanometer-sized alumina coated with chromotropic acid as solid phase metal extractant from environmental samples and determination by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry

A method for solid phase extraction of trace metals such as Cd²⁺, Cr⁶⁺, Cu²⁺, Fe³⁺, Mn²⁺, Ni²⁺, Pb²⁺ and Zn²⁺ using nanometer-sized alumina coated with chromotropic acid prior to determination by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) has been developed. Various influencing parameters on the separation and preconcentration of trace metals, pH, flow rate, sample volume, amount of adsorbent, concentration of eluent and sorption kinetics have been studied. The detection limits for Cd²⁺, Cr⁶⁺, Cu²⁺, Fe³⁺, Mn²⁺, Ni²⁺, Pb²⁺ and Zn²⁺ were found to be 0.14, 0.62, 0.22, 0.54, 0.27, 0.28, 0.53 and 0.38 ng ml^− 1, respectively. The adsorption capacity of the solid phase adsorption material is 10.3, 11.3, 14.5, 16.4, 15.1, 11.7, 15.4 and 16.8 mg g^− 1 for Cd²⁺, Cr⁶⁺, Cu²⁺, Fe³⁺, Mn²⁺, Ni^2+, Pb²⁺ and Zn²⁺, respectively. The preconcentration factor was obtained in the range of 50-100 for all studied metal ions. Coexisting ions over a high concentration range have not shown any significant effects on the determination of aforesaid metal ions. The accuracy of the proposed method was tested by standard reference materials (NIST 1643e: water, NIST 1573a: tomato leaves and NIST 1568a rice flour) and natural waters and the results obtained were in good agreement with the certified values.     

ABTS‐Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes Nanocomposite/Bi Film Electrode for Sensitive Determination of Cd and Pb by Differential Pulse Stripping Voltammetry

A 2,2′‐azinobis (3‐ethylbenzothiazoline‐6‐sulfonate) diammonium salt (ABTS)‐multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) nanocomposite/Bi film modified glassy carbon (GC) electrode was constructed for the differential pulse stripping voltammetric determination of trace Pb²⁺ and Cd²⁺. This electrode was more sensitive than ABTS‐free Bi/GC and Bi/MWCNTs/GC electrodes. Linear responses were obtained in the range from 0.5 to 35 μg L^?1 for Cd²⁺ and 0.2 to 50 μg L^?1 Pb(II), with detection limits of 0.2 μg L^?1 for Cd²⁺ and 0.1 μg L^?1 for Pb²⁺, respectively. This sensor was applied to the simultaneous detection of Cd²⁺ and Pb²⁺ in water samples with satisfactory recovery.     

Preparation of guanidinylated carboxymethyl chitosan and its application in the diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) technique for measuring labile trace metals in water

ABSTRACT

Guanidinylated carboxymethyl chitosan (GCMCS) was prepared via the guanidinylation of carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS). A device employing the diffusive gradients for thin films (DGT) technique was made using a GCMCS aqueous solution as the binding agent and a cellulose acetate dialysis membrane (CADM) as the diffusion phase to measure labile Cu²⁺, Pb²⁺ and Cd²⁺ in water. The percentage uptake (U%) values of labile Cu²⁺, Pb²⁺ and Cd²⁺ in a synthetic water sample were almost consistent with the theoretical values at 101.6 ± 2.8%, 104.6 ± 6.1% and 95.9 ± 4.4%, respectively. The optimum pH ranges for the measurement of labile Cu²⁺, Pb²⁺ and Cd²⁺ were 3.0–7.0, 3.0–7.0 and 4.0–8.0, respectively. The ionic strength mainly affected the diffusion of metal ions in the CADM. The diffusion rates decreased with increasing concentrations of NaNO₃ solutions. The application of GCMCS-DGT in natural water and industrial wastewater showed that dissolved organic carbon (DOC) only affects metal species, and the accurate determination of labile Cu²⁺, Pb²⁺ and Cd²⁺ can be achieved when the diffusion coefficients of these metal ions in the diffusion phase have been determined. GCMCS is suitable for DGT application as a chelating agent for metal ions.     

Response surface methodology for optimization of heavy metal removal by magnetic biosorbent made from anaerobic sludge

In this study, optimum conditions for adsorption of heavy metals such as Cu²⁺, Cd²⁺ and Pb²⁺ onto a low-cost, magnetically modified-alkali conditioned anaerobically digested sludge (MADS) adsorbent were obtained. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) incorporating Central Composite Design (CCD) of experiments was applied to optimize four independent process variables. Statistical analysis was executed by ANOVA and the quadratic model developed had regression coefficients of 0.959, 0.957 and 0.95 for Cu²⁺, Cd²⁺ and Pb²⁺, respectively. The independent variables such as pH, time and initial concentration positively influenced adsorption capacity, q_e, whereas the value of q_e decreased with an increase in MADS dosage. Model validation experiments for optimization of adsorption process showed comparable results with predicted values. The adsorption capacity of MADS adsorbent at optimum conditions found through RSM analysis was 29.721 mg L^?1, 28.551 mg L^?1 and 28.601 mg L^?1 for Cu²⁺, Cd²⁺ and Pb²⁺ respectively.     

Nanostructure Restoration of Thermally Reduced Graphene Oxide Electrode upon Incorporation of Nafion for Detection of Trace Heavy Metals in Aqueous Solution

High performance reduced graphene oxide (RGO)‐Nafion (N) thin film electrodes coated on silicon (Si) substrates (RGO‐N/Si) were successfully developed through thermal reduction of GO‐N without delamination from the substrates. The restoration of the RGO‐N nanostructure upon the addition of Nafion was proven by Raman spectroscopy (RS) and field emission scanning electron microscopy, and the restoration mechanism of the RGO‐N nanostructure was proposed. Through the investigation using x‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), the polyfluorocarbon from Nafion possessed a function that could prevent the delamination of the RGO sheets from the substrates during the thermal reduction. The RGO‐N/Si samples were later used for the determination of trace heavy metals, such as divalent lead, cadmium and copper ions (Pb²⁺, Cd²⁺ and Cu²⁺, respectively) using square wave anodic stripping voltammetry in a 0.1 M acetate buffer solution (pH 5). Based on the electroanalytical measurements, the RGO‐N/Si samples exhibited a highly linear behavior in the detection of Cd²⁺, Pb²⁺ and Cu²⁺ over the concentration range of 50 nM to 300 nM with detection limits at nM levels. In addition, the RGO‐N/Si samples presented good recoveries of target metals in tap water samples.     

The Fabrication and Characterization of a Bismuth Nanoparticle Modified Boron Doped Diamond Electrode and Its Application to the Simultaneous Determination of Cadmium(II) And Lead(II)

We report the simultaneous electroanalytical determination of Pb²⁺ and Cd²⁺ by square‐wave anodic stripping voltammetry (SWASV) using a bismuth nanoparticle modified boron doped diamond (Bi‐BDD) electrode. Bi deposition was performed in situ with the analytes, from a solution of 0.1 mM Bi(NO₃)₃ in 0.1 M HClO₄ (pH 1.2), and gave detection limits of 1.9 μg L^?1 and 2.3 μg L^?1 for Pb(II) and Cd(II) respectively. Pb²⁺ and Cd²⁺ could not be detected simultaneously at a bare BDD electrode, whilst on a bulk Bi macro electrode (BiBE) the limits of detection for the simultaneous determination of Pb²⁺ and Cd²⁺ were ca. ten times higher.     

Syntheses,structures of N‐(substituted)‐2‐aza‐[3]‐ferrocenophanes and their application as redox sensor for Cu2+ ion

Rigid N‐(substituted)‐2‐aza‐[3]‐ferrocenophanes L1 and L2 were easily synthesized from 1,1 ‐dicarboxyaldehydeferrocene and the corresponding amines. Ligands L1 and L2 were characterized by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR and single‐crystal X‐ray crystallography. The coordination abilities of L1 and L2 with metal ions such as Cu²⁺, Mg²⁺, Ni²⁺, Zn²⁺, Pb²⁺ and Cd²⁺ were evaluated by cyclic voltammetry. The electrochemical shift (ΔE_1/2) of 125 mV was observed in the presence of Cu²⁺ ion, while no significant shift of the Fc/Fc + couple was observed when Mg²⁺, Ni²⁺, Zn²⁺, Pb²⁺, Cd²⁺ metal ions were added to the solution of L1 in the mixture of MeOH and H₂O. Moreover, the extent of the anodic shift of redox potentials was approximately equal to that induced by Cu²⁺ alone when a mixture of Cu²⁺, Mg²⁺, Ni²⁺, Zn²⁺, Pb²⁺ and Cd²⁺ was added to a solution of L1. Ligand L1 was proved to selectively sense Cu²⁺ in the presence of large, excessive first‐row transition and late‐transition metal cations. The coordination model was proposed from the results of controlled experiments and quantum calculations. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A highly selective turn-on fluorescent chemosensor for copper(II) ion

A new pyrene derivative (1) containing a diaminomaleonitrile moiety exhibits high selectivity for Cu²⁺ detection. Significant fluorescence enhancement was observed with chemosensor 1 in the presence of Cu²⁺. However, the metal ions Ag⁺, Ca²⁺, Cd²⁺, Co²⁺, Fe²⁺, Fe³⁺, Hg²⁺, Mg²⁺, Mn²⁺, Ni²⁺, Pb²⁺, and Zn²⁺ produced only minor changes in fluorescence values for the system. The apparent association constant (K_a) of Cu²⁺ binding in chemosensor 1 was found to be 5.55×10³ M⁻¹. The maximum fluorescence enhancement caused by Cu²⁺ binding in chemosensor 1 was observed over the pH range 5-7.5.     

Preparation and metal binding behavior of poly(4-vinylbenzyl 2-hydroxyethyl) sulfoxide and sulfone

In order to explore the reuse properties of oxidized chelating resin containing sulfur after adsorption, two kinds of novel chelating resins, poly[4-vinylbenzyl-(2-hydroxyethyl)] sulfoxide (PVBSO) and poly[4-vinylbenzyl-(2-hydroxyethyl)] sulfone (PVBSO₂), were synthesized using poly[4-vinylbenzyl-(2-hydroxyethyl)] sulfide (PVBS) as material. Their structures were confirmed by FTIR and XPS. The adsorption properties and mechanism for metal ions such as Au³⁺, Pt⁴⁺, Pd²⁺, Hg²⁺, Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺, Fe³⁺, Pb²⁺, Cd²⁺, and Zn²⁺ were investigated. Experimental results showed that PVBSO had good adsorption and selective properties for Au³⁺, Pd²⁺ and Cu²⁺ when the coexisting ion was Pt⁴⁺, Ni²⁺, Pb²⁺ or Cd²⁺. In the aqueous system containing Cu²⁺ and Pb²⁺ or Cu²⁺ and Cd²⁺, PVBSO₂ only adsorbed Cu²⁺. The selective coefficients of PVBSO and PVBSO₂ were α_Au/Pt = 4.8, α_Au/Pd = 11.8, α_Pd/Pt = 10.9, α_Cu/Ni = 2.5, α_Cu/Cd = 41.2, α_Cu/Pb = ∞, α_Cu/Ni = 3.0, α_Cu/Cd = ∞, α_Cu/Pb = ∞, respectively.     

A reactive electrode (reactrode) for the voltammetric determination of heavy metals in laboratories and for use as a passive monitor in remote analysis

The use of a reactive electrode (reactrode) consisting of graphite, a solid ion exchanger (HYPHAN) and paraffin for the batch analysis of Cd²⁺, Cu²⁺, Pb²⁺ and Hg²⁺ in aqueous samples and as a passive monitor for these metal ions is described. The metal ions are accumulated on the reactrode surface at an open-circuit potential in an ion-exchange reaction. After the accumulation, the ion exchanger-bonded metal ions are reduced to the metals which remain on the electrode surface. In a following step, the metals are anodically dissolved which is recorded by differential-pulse voltammetry. The 3s detection limits for the analysis of drinking water are: 1.1×10^-7 mol/l for Pb²⁺, 5×10^-8 mol/l for Hg²⁺ and 2.4×10^-7 mol/l for Cu²⁺.The reactrode developed can be used for the passive monitoring of heavy metals in aqueous streams if the reactrode is mounted in a wall-jet cell which is part of a flow-through system. Using this arrangement, it has been possible to determine Hg²⁺, Cu²⁺ and Pb²⁺ in drinking water after 20 hours of accumulation.     

Selective transport of copper(II) ions across a liquid membrane mediated by Piroxicam

Piroxicam was found to be a highly selective carrier for uphill transport of Cu²⁺ ions through a chloroform liquid membrane. The transport occurs via a counterflow of protons from the receiving phase to the source phase. The effects of several parameters on the transport of Cu²⁺ ions, such as the carrier concentration, pH of the source phase, composition of the receiving phase, and duration are described. A high transport efficiency (98±2%) was provided by the carrier for Cu²⁺ ions in a receiving phase of 0.01 mol l⁻¹ sulfuric acid after 4 h. Different metal ion transport experiments showed that Cu²⁺ ions were selectively transported over other ions, such as Co²⁺, Ni²⁺, Cd²⁺, Pb²⁺, Zn²⁺, UO₂²⁺ and ZrO₂²⁺. In the presence of fluoride ions (used as a suitable masking agent in the source phase), the interfering effects of UO₂²⁺ and ZrO₂²⁺ ions were eliminated. The applicability of the method was tested on a real sample, and the results obtained show that it is potentially useful for solvent extraction of copper.