Speciation analysis of aluminium and aluminium fluoride complexes by HPIC-UVVIS

The study presents a new analytical method for speciation analysis in fractionation of aluminium fluoride complexes and free Al³⁺ in soil samples. Aluminium speciation was studied in model solutions and soil extract samples by means of high performance ion chromatography (HPIC) with UV-VIS detection using post-column reaction with tiron for the separation and detection of aluminium fluoride complex and Al³⁺ forms during one analysis. The paper presents particular stages of the chromatographic process optimization involving selecting the appropriate eluent strength, type of elution or concentration and quantity of derivatization reagent. HPIC was performed on a bifunctional analytical column Dionex IonPac CS5A. The use of gradient elution and the eluents A: 1 M NH₄Cl and B: water acidified to pH of eluent phase, enabled full separation of fluoride aluminium forms as AlF₂⁺, AlF₃⁰, AlF₄⁻ (first signal), AlF²⁺ (second signal) and form Al³⁺ in a single analytical procedure. The proposed new method HPIC-UVVIS was applied successfully in the quantitative and qualitative analysis of soil samples.     

Speciation of aluminium fluoride complexes and Al in soils from the vicinity of an aluminium smelter plant by hyphenated High Performance Ion Chromatography Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry technique

The paper presents a new tool for the determination of inorganic speciation forms of aluminium: AlF_n^{(3 − n)+}, and Al³⁺ by means of the HPIC-FAAS. The proposed method has been successfully used for speciation analysis (qualitative and quantitative) of inorganic aluminium forms AlF_n^{(3 − n)+} in soil samples. In order to isolate the most environmentally available fraction, 5 g of the sample was collected and extracted in deionised water (water soluble fraction) for 1 h using a magnetic stirrer. The determinations in a hyphenated technique system were performed for a number of prepared water extracts. Concentration determinations of particular aluminium forms were performed based on model studies and real samples. The separation of Al species with nominal charge of + 1, + 2, and + 3 required a run time of less than 4 min during a single analysis. Based on the analysis of water extracts of soil, it was obtained that aluminium forms elute in the following order: 1PA (first signal) — AlF₂⁺ and/or AlF₄⁻; 2PA (second signal) — AlF²⁺ and/or AlF₃⁰; 3PA (third signal) — Al³⁺. In order to confirm the occurrence of these forms a simulation using the Mineql program was conducted. The details of speciation analysis of aluminium fluoride forms by means of an HPIC-FAAS instrument equipped are presented. Interpretation of the speciation analysis of the water soluble fraction of soil samples is proposed, based on the separation during chromatographic run and calculated data by Mineql.     

New method for speciation analysis of aluminium fluoride complexes by HPLC-FAAS hyphenated technique

Speciation analysis of aluminium in the presented system of HPLC-FAAS hyphenated technique lasts 4 min. Using the bifunctional column in model analysis and using the calculation methods for modelling using the Mineql program enabled the authors to presume that particular forms will be subjected to elution in the following order: (1) AlF₂⁺ and AlF₄⁻, (2) AlF²⁺ and AlF₃⁰ and (3) Al³⁺. Based on the obtained results for model solutions, the presented method enables the determination of aluminium fluoride complexes and Al³⁺ speciation form. The study compares the tendency of occurrence variability of aluminium fluoride complexes and Al³⁺ form, determined based on the results obtained using the HPLC-FAAS hyphenated technique with the trend defined based on the Mineql program calculation method. The method was successfully applied to soil samples.     

Simultaneous determination of aluminium,aluminium fluoride complexes and iron in groundwater samples by new HPLC–UVVIS method

The paper presents the application of the new HPLC–UVVIS method used in speciation analysis of aluminium form Al³⁺, aluminium complexes with fluorides and iron in groundwater samples. Based on the obtained results of groundwater samples analysis, the separation of iron in the retention time ≈ 3.7, was obtained. The conditions of the occurrence of particular aluminium forms based on the speciation analysis and modeling in the Mineql program were presented and confirmed. The influence of pH and ligand concentration on forming complexes was shown. The preliminary study of aluminium complexes with sulfates based on model solutions did not allow for the separation of the above complexes in presented analytical system. The paper presents the possible types of transformation of aluminium hydroxy forms and aluminium sulfate complexes by the reaction of the sample with mobile phase. An indirect method for the determination of aluminium in the form of aluminium sulfate was proposed. The new method was successfully applied in the determination of the following aluminium forms: Al³⁺, AlF₂⁺, AlF₃⁰, AlF₄^?, AlF²⁺ and Fe³⁺.     

Crystalline aluminium hydroxy fluorides—Suitable reference compounds for F chemical shift trend analysis of related amorphous solids

On the basis of MAS NMR-data for crystalline AlF_x(OH)_3−x·H₂O samples in the pyrochlore structure, ¹⁹F chemical shifts correlate with the average chemical composition of the octahedral environment, given by AlF_xO_6−x in these compounds.The attribution of local structures in sol-gel derived amorphous AlF_x(OX)_3−x·XOH (X = H, R (alkyl)) compounds is of special interest as these or consecutively prepared solids exhibit remarkable features, for example, a high surface (HS) area accompanied by a high Lewis acidity.By transferring this scale of a ¹⁹F chemical shift trend analysis to such compounds a prediction of the chemical nature of the average Al coordination becomes possible.A new synthetic approach to crystalline aluminium hydroxy fluorides involving a sol gel fluorination as the first reaction step and an aluminium alkoxide as precursor compound is presented. Varying the amount of HF leads to different F-OH-ratios in the AlF_x(OH)_3−x compounds.     

Potentiometric Study of Aluminium-Fluoride Complexation Equilibria and Definition of the Thermodynamic Model

Complexation constants of the Al³⁺/F⁻ system were determined at different ionic strengths in a NaClO₄ (1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 mol⋅dm⁻³) ionic medium by means of a potentiometry using two electrode systems: an ion fluoride selective electrode as well as a glass electrode. All the experimentation was performed at 25 °C. The main species in the complexation equilibria were determined as AlF²⁺, AlF₂⁺, AlF₃⁰, AlF₄⁻, AlF₅²⁻ and AlF₆³⁻. The differences found in the complexation constants for the ionic strength considered were explained by the different behavior of the interaction parameters for the AlF _n ³⁻ⁿ species. These parameters were calculated using the Modified Bromley’s Methodology (MBM). The corresponding thermodynamic quantities were also determined. From all the results obtained, it can be concluded that pH, fluoride concentration and ionic strength influenced the distribution of the fluoride-aluminium complexes.     

Potentiometric determination of the 'formal' hydrolysis ratio of aluminium species in aqueous solutions

The ‘formal’ hydrolysis ratio (h = C(OH⁻)_added/C(Al)_total) of hydrolysed aluminium-ions is an important parameter required for the exhaustive and quantitative speciation-fractionation of aluminium in aqueous solutions. This paper describes a potentiometric method for determination of the formal hydrolysis ratio based on an automated alkaline titration procedure. The method uses the point of precipitation of aluminium hydroxide as a reference (h = 3.0) in order to calculate the initial formal hydrolysis ratio of hydrolysed aluminium-ion solutions. Several solutions of pure hydrolytic species including aluminium monomers (AlCl₃), Al₁₃ polynuclear cluster ([Al₁₃O₄(OH)₂₄(H₂O)₁₂]⁷⁺), Al₃₀ polynuclear cluster ([Al₃₀O₈(OH)₅₆(H₂O)₂₆]¹⁸⁺) and a suspension of nanoparticulate aluminium hydroxide have been used as ‘reference standards’ to validate the proposed potentiometric method. Other important variables in the potentiometric determination of the hydrolysis ratio have also been optimised including the concentration of aluminium and the type and strength of alkali (Trizma-base, NH₃, NaHCO₃, Na₂CO₃ and KOH). The results of the potentiometric analysis have been cross-verified by quantitative ²⁷Al solution nuclear magnetic resonance (²⁷Al NMR) measurements. The ‘formal’ hydrolysis ratio of a commercial basic aluminium chloride has been measured as an example of a practical application of the developed technique.     

Comparative structural investigation of aluminium fluoride solvates

To get some insight by conclusions of analogy into the drying process of alcoholic aluminium fluoride sol–gels [AlF₃/(ROH)_x], the structures of α- and β-AlF₃3H₂O as well as of the nonahydrate AlF₃9H₂O are reinvestigated and discussed based on X-ray single crystal structural data. In addition, neutron diffraction experiments of the latter allowed the refinement of proton positions. In accordance with crystal structures, low-temperature solid state ²⁷Al-, ¹H- and ¹⁹F-MAS NMR spectra convincingly confirm the structural similarity between α-AlF₃3H₂O and AlF₃9H₂O, while the β-phase material is structurally different forming chain structures. Thermal analysis of AlF₃/(ROH)_x gave evidence for discrete AlF₃:ROH ratios of only 1:0.45 and 1:0.1, and solution NMR showed some similarities between aqueous and alcoholic systems.     

Second coordination sphere of aluminium and gallium hexacoordination complexes

It is shown by means of ¹⁹F NMR that the hexacoordinated solvates of aluminium and gallium in solutions of methyl, ethyl and n-propyl alcohols form outer-sphere complexes with the halide ions, F^?, Cl^? and Br^?, in which the acidoligands are situated in the second coordination sphere. The outer-sphere complexes are formed on the basis of purely alcoholic solvates, M(ROH)₆³⁺, as well as the complexes containing the mixed coordination sphere, M(ROH)_6?n(H₂O)_n³⁺, and Al(CH₃OH)_6?n(C₂H₅OH)_n²⁺.     

Influence of column geometry on the ion chromatographic separation of aluminium species

The dependence of the degree of disintegration and therefore the applicability of ion chromatography for the speciation of aluminium fluoride species was examined for two different column geometries, a standard bore and a microbore column. Besides mathematical calculations, the temperature of the separation column was varied between –5 and 50??C for the observation of a temperature-dependent decomposition of the species. All species were detected by UV photometry after post-column reaction with Tiron. The results showed that the disintegration of the higher coordinated Al fluoride species (AlF_n with n >2) could be dramatically reduced utilizing the microbore technique. In contrast to the standard bore technique the column temperature is of minor importance. The agreement between speciation data experimentally determined by microbore chromatography and those calculated using stability constants is quite good. The standard bore technique showed bigger differences between calculated and experimentally determined species distributions.     

Determination of aluminium in water samples by adsorptive cathodic stripping voltammetry in the presence of pyrogallol red and a quaternary ammonium salt

A fast, sensitive and selective method for the determination of aluminium based on the reaction of the metal with pyrogallol red (PR) in the presence of tetrabutylammonium tetrafluoroborate (TBATFB) to form an Al(PR)₃x9TBATFB complex which is adsorbed on the mercury electrode is presented. Under these conditions complexation of aluminium is rapid and no waiting period or heating of the sample is required. The reduction current of the accumulated complex is measured by scanning the potential in the cathodic direction. The variation of peak current with pH, adsorption time, adsorption potential, ligand and quaternary ammonium salt concentration, and some instrumental parameters, such as stirring rate in the accumulation stage, and step amplitude, pulse amplitude and step duration while obtaining the square wave voltamperograms were optimized. The best experimental parameters were pH 8.5, (NH₄Ac-NH₃ buffer), C_PR = 25 μmol L⁻¹, C_TBATFB over 75 μmol L⁻¹, t_ads = 60 s, and E_ads = −0.60 V versus Ag/AgCl. A linear response is observed over the 0.0-30.0 μg L⁻¹ concentration range, with a detection limit of 1.0 μg L⁻¹. Reproducibility for 9.0 μg L⁻¹ aluminium solution was 2.3% (n = 6). Synthetic sea water and sea water reference material CRM-SW were used for validation measurements. Aluminium in urine samples of a volunteer who ingested 800 mg of Al(OH)₃ was analyzed.     

Synthesis, structural characterisation of new oligomeric alkyl aluminium (2,2′-methylene-p-chloro-bisphenoxides) and application as catalysts in polymerisation reactions involving cyclohexene oxide

The synthesis, spectroscopic characterisation and X-ray structure determination of the first aluminium para-chloro-bisphenoxides [Al₂(mbpcp)₂(C₂H₅)₂(THF)₂] and [Al₃(mbpcp)₂(C₂H₅)₅] (mbpcp = 2,2′-methylenebis(4-chlorophenol) are reported. 2,2′-Methylenebis(4-chlorophenol) was reacted with triethyl aluminium to yield under liberation of ethane, aluminium para-chloro-2,2′-methylene-bisphenoxides with different molecular complexities: a dinuclear and a trinuclear specie, both displaying two bridging bisphenoxide ligands. The nature of the solvent (coordinating or not) influences the aggregation degree of the final product. The use of a coordinating solvent like THF yields a dimeric structure with a bisphenol:metal ratio of 1 to 1 which displays a trigonal-bipyramidal coordination geometry around the aluminium atoms whereas using an apolar, weak-coordinating solvent like diethyl ether yields a trinuclear species with a bisphenol:metal ratio of 2 to 3, displaying aluminium atoms with both tetrahedral and trigonal-bipyramidal coordination geometries. These compounds were tested in preliminary screening tests as catalysts of the homopolymerisation of cyclohexene oxide (CHO) and copolymerisation of CHO with carbon dioxide. Both aluminium bisphenoxides are highly active in the ring opening polymerisation of CHO (RT, reaction time <5 min, M_n ranging from 31 000 to 40 700 g/mol, polydispersities from 1.2 to 1.4). Both compound are also active in the copolymerisation of CHO with CO₂ although the carbonate amount remains low (75 bar, 90 °C, reaction time 8 h, M_n ranging from 6800 to 15 200 g/mol, polydispersities from 1.9 to 2.5).     

The missing hydrate AlF3·6H2O [Al(H2O)6]F3: Ionothermal synthesis,crystal structure and characterization of aluminum fluoride hexahydrate

AlF₃ is a strong Lewis acid and several hydrates of it are known, namely the monohydrate, the trihydrate (of which two polymorphs have been described) and the nonohydrate, which forms in the abundance of water, as well as a more complex fluoride of composition Al_0.82□_0.18F_2.46(H₂O)_0.54 whose structure has been related to the ReO₃ type. The monohydrate features edge connected [AlF₆] octahedra, in the tri- and nonahydrate mixed F/O coordination of aluminum is observed. Here we report on a new aluminium fluoride hydrate, AlF₃·6H₂O, which could be obtained via ionothermal synthesis in the ionic liquid n-hexyl-pyridinium tetrafluoroborate. The ionic liquid serves in the synthesis of AlF₃·6H₂O as the reaction partner (fluoride source) and solvent. Overmore it controls the water activity allowing access to the missing AlF₃·6H₂O. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis of AlF₃·6H₂O shows that it crystallizes in the anti-Li₃Bi-type of structure according to F₃[Al(H₂O)₆] (Fm-3m, a = 893.1(2) pm, Z = 4) featuring hexaaqua aluminium(III) cations and isolated fluoride anions. The compound was further characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, TG/DTA, IR analyses.     

Study of mechanism retention of nonvolatile alkylphosphonic acids on unmodified selected polymer-based ion exchanger columns

The retention of alkylphosphonic acids (MPA, EPA, PPA, and BPA) and inorganic anions (Cl⁻, NO₃⁻, and SO₄²⁻) were studied on two anion exchangers, e.g., Dionex IonPac AS4A-SC (250 ± 4 mm I.D.) and Satisfaction P 4000-SAX (50 ± 4.6 mm I.D.) under isocratic elution conditions with evaporative light scattering detector. The plots of retention factors, k, of organic anions vs. the reciprocal of eluent ion concentration show good linearity. The major retention mechanisms are interpreted as ion exchange and some others interactions. The C effect of organic modifier added to the aqueous buffered mobile phase is also investigated.     

The very strong solid Lewis acids aluminium chlorofluoride (ACF) and bromofluoride (ABF)—Synthesis, structure, and Lewis acidity

Aluminium chlorofluoride, ACF, (AlCl_xF_3−x, x ≈ 0.05-0.25) is an amorphous solid Lewis acid with an extraordinary acid strength that was patented by DuPont in 1992. It reaches the acidity of antimony pentafluoride, SbF₅, and, in some cases, even exceeds it.In this review, an overview of known structural data of ACF and the corresponding bromine compound, ABF, is presented, together with additional unpublished data. This includes a discussion of soft chemistry synthesis, structure of bulk and surface, and Lewis acidities of molecular and solid group 13 halides. The order of Lewis acidity of gaseous halides is established to be AlF_3(g) < AlCl_3(g) < AlBr_3(g) ≈ AlI_3(g) and AlX_3(g) > GaX_3(g) > InX_3(g) (X = F, Cl, Br, I).ACF and ABF are highly distorted solids. Different spectroscopic bulk methods show that the heavy halogen, chlorine or bromine, is a necessary perturbation that generates “disorder”. Highly Lewis acidic centres have been detected by several methods on the surface of ACF and ABF, which are responsible for the high catalytic reactivity observed in many reactions.The data gained on ACF and ABF show that many published data about heterogeneously catalysed fluorine-halogen exchange reactions in presence of aluminium chloride and bromide must be treated critically. In general, ACF and ABF are the active species.     

Use of mobile phase 18-crown-6 to improve peak resolution between mono- and divalent metal and amine cations in ion chromatography

It is difficult to quantify NH4+ by ion chromatography in the presence of high concentrations of Na+ due to peak overlap. The Dionex IonPac CS15 column, which contains phosphonate, carboxylate, and 18-crown-6 functional groups, was originally developed to overcome this problem. We have found that the addition of 18-crown-6 to the eluent promotes improved peak resolution between Na+ and NH4+ even at concentrations as high as 60,000 to 1 using this column. Its use also improves the separation of alkali and alkaline earth metal and amine cations. Mobile phase 18-crown-6 increased the retention times of CH3NH3+, NH4+, and K+, and decreased the retention time of Sr2+. The retention times of Li+, Na+, Mg2+, Ca2+, (CH3)2NH2+, and (CH3)3NH+ were not affected. This method makes possible the direct analysis of ammonia from nitrogenase, the enzyme responsible for biological nitrogen fixation. The resolution of the NH4+ peak from the Na+ and Mg2+ peaks improved from zero resolution to values of 6.19 and 5.65, respectively. This technique considerably reduces the analysis time of NH4+ in the presence of high concentrations of Mg2+ and Na+ over traditional indophenol measurements.     

Effect of pH and ionic strength on the interaction of humic acid with aluminium oxide

The effect of pH and neutral electrolyte on the interaction between humic acid/humate and γ-AlOOH (boehmite) was investigated. The quantitative characterization of surface charging for both partners was performed by means of potentiometric acid–base titration. The intrinsic equilibrium constants for surface charge formation were logK _a,1 ^int=6.7±0.2 and logK _a,2 ^int = 10.6±0.2 and the point of zero charge was 8.7±0.1 for aluminium oxide. The pH-dependent solubility and the speciation of dissolved aluminium was calculated (MINTEQA2). The fitted (FITEQL) pK values for dissociation of acidic groups of humic acid were pK ₁ = 3.7±0.1 and pK ₂ = 6.6±0.1 and the total acidity was 4.56 mmol g⁻¹. The pH range for the adsorption study was limited to between pH 5 and 10, where the amount of the aluminium species in the aqueous phase is negligible (less than 10⁻⁵ mol dm⁻³) and the complicating side equilibria can be neglected. Adsorption isotherms were determined at pH ∼ 5.5, ∼8.5 and ∼9.5, where the surface of adsorbent is positive, neutral and negative, respectively, and at 0.001, 0.1, 0.25 and 0.50 mol dm⁻³ NaNO₃. The isotherms are of the Langmuir type, except that measured at pH ∼ 5.5 in the presence of 0.25 and 0.5 mol dm⁻³ salt. The interaction between humic acid/humate and aluminium oxide is mainly a ligand-exchange reaction with humic macroions with changing conformation under the influence of the charged interface. With increasing ionic strength the surface complexation takes place with more and more compressed humic macroions. The contribution of Coulombic interaction of oppositely charged partners is significant at acidic pH. We suppose heterocoagulation of humic acid and aluminium oxide particles at pH ∼ 5.5 and higher salt content to explain the unusual increase in the apparent amount of humic acid adsorbed. Received: 20 July 1999 /Accepted in revised form: 20 October 1999     

Speciation of trace amounts of aluminium in percolating water of forest soil by online coupling HPLC-ICP-MS

Procedures were developed for the speciation of trace amounts of aluminium present in percolating water of forest soil by online coupling of different chromatographic separation methods to an ICP-MS detection system. Inorganic and organic aluminium species were fractionated on a cation exchange column IONPAC CG12 (10-32). Phytotoxic polymeric aluminium hydroxides, as e.g. Al₁₃ (AlO₄Al₁₂(OH)₂₄(H₂O)₁₂ ⁷⁺), were determined using pyrocatechol violet (PCV) as a species dependant complexing reagent prior to the cation exchange step. Size fractionation of the organic aluminium species was obtained by size exclusion chromatography using the columns Superdex-75-HR 10/30 and Superdex-Peptide-HR 10/30. Validation of the speciation procedures proved that online coupling HPLC to the element selective and sensitive ICP-MS detection system leads to low detection limits of 0.3–0.6 μg/L and high precision and reproducibility (1.2–3.5%) of the speciation procedures. Speciation data determined for aluminium in a percolating water of the Zierenberg catchment are given. Received: 20 November 1998 / Revised: 28 January 1999 / Accepted: 3 February 1999     

Determination of trace aluminium by adsorptive stripping voltammetry on a preplated bismuth-film electrode in the presence of cupferron

This work reports the use of adsorptive stripping voltammetry (AdSV) for the determination of aluminium on a rotating-disc bismuth-film electrode (BiFE). Al(III) ions in the non-deoxygenated sample were complexed with cupferron and the complex was accumulated by adsorption on the surface of the preplated BiFE. The stripping step was carried out by using a square-wave (SW) potential-time voltammetric excitation signal. The experimental variables as well as potential interferences were investigated and the figures of merit of the method were established. Using the selected conditions, the 3σ limit of detection for aluminium was 0.5 μg l⁻¹ at a preconcentration time of 240 s and the relative standard deviation was 4.2% at the 5 μg 1⁻¹ level for a preconcentration time of 120 s (n = 8). The accuracy of the method was established by analysing water and metallurgical samples.     

Synthesis of aluminium complexes bearing a piperazine-based ligand system

Aluminium complexes bearing the N,N-chelating ligand 1,4-bis(2-hydroxy-3,5-di-tert-butyl)piperazine (1) have been synthesised. Both monometallic and bimetallic aluminium methyl complexes (2 and 3, respectively) were prepared by treatment of 1 with the appropriate amount of AlMe₃. Complex 2 can be converted to 3 by addition of excess AlMe₃. Bimetallic aluminium-ethyl complex 4 was also prepared. Treatment of 1 with AlEt₂Cl afforded the monometallic chloride complex 5. Treatment of this latter complex with potassium alkoxides (KOR, R = Me, Et, ⁱPr, ^tBu) or AgOTf afforded the corresponding aluminium alkoxide complexes (6, R = Et; 7, R = Me; 8, R = ⁱPr; 9, R = ^tBu; 10, R = OTf) in good yields. Aluminium ethoxide complex 6 was also synthesised by treatment of 1 with AlEt₂OEt. All of these complexes were tested as potential catalysts in the ring-opening polymerisation of rac-lactide and caprolactone with limited success.