Development of a cloud point extraction and preconcentration method for determination of trace aluminum in mineral waters by FAAS

A cloud point extraction (CPE) method has been developed for the preconcentration of trace aluminum prior to its determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). The CPE method is based on the complex of Al(III) with Xylidyl Blue (XB) and then entrapped in non-ionic surfactant Triton X-114. The main factors affecting CPE efficiency, such as pH of sample solution, concentration of XB and Triton X-114, equilibration temperature and time, were investigated in detail. An enrichment factor of 50 was obtained for the preconcentration of Al(III) with 50 mL solution. Under the optimal conditions, the detection limit of this method for Al(III) is 1.43 μg L^− 1, and the relative standard deviation is 2.7% at determination of 100 μg L^− 1 Al(III). The proposed method has been applied for determination of trace amount of aluminum in mineral water samples with satisfactory results. Also, the proposed method was applied to the certified reference materials. The results obtained were in good agreement with certified values.     

Determination of ultra-trace amount methyl-, phenyl- and inorganic mercury in environmental and biological samples by liquid chromatography with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry after cloud point extraction preconcentration

The cloud point extraction (CPE) preconcentration of ultra-trace amount of mercury species prior to reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) detection was studied. Mercury species including methyl-, ethyl-, phenyl- and inorganic mercury were transformed into hydrophobic chelates by reaction with sodium diethyldithiocarbamate, and the hydrophobic chelates were extracted into a surfactant-rich phase of Triton X-114 upon heating in a water bath at 40 °C. Ethylmercury was found partially decomposed during the CPE process, and was not included in the developed method. Various experimental conditions affecting the CPE preconcentration, HPLC separation, and ICP-MS determination were optimized. Under the optimized conditions, detection limits of 13, 8 and 6 ng l⁻¹ (as Hg) were achieved for MeHg⁺, PhHg⁺ and Hg²⁺, respectively. Seven determinations of a standard solution containing the three mercury species each at 0.5 ng ml⁻¹ level produced relative standard deviations of 5.3, 2.3 and 4.4% for MeHg⁺, PhHg⁺ and Hg²⁺, respectively. The developed method was successfully applied for the determination of the three mercury species in environmental water samples and biological samples of human hair and ocean fish.     

Cloud point extraction of aluminum (III) in water samples and determination by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry,flame atomic absorption spectrometry and UV-visible spectrophotometry

Cloud point extraction was applied as a preconcentration step for the determination of trace level of Al(III) in water samples with electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS), flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) and UV-visible spectrophotometry. The aluminum was extracted as aluminum-Eriochrome Cyanine R (ECR) complex, at pH 6 by micelles of the non-ionic surfactant octylphenoxypolyethoxyethanol (Triton X-114). The investigations showed that the same CPE procedure can be used for different detection techniques. The results obtained from these techniques were evaluated. Under the optimal conditions, limit of detection obtained with ETAAS, FAAS and UV-visible spectrophotometry were 0.03 ng mL^?1, 0.06 µg mL^?1 and 0.01 µg mL^?1, respectively. The accuracy of the procedure was tested by analysing certified reference material. The method was successfully applied to determination of aluminum in water samples and dialysis fluid.     

Cloud point extraction and preconcentration of gold in geological matrices prior to flame atomic absorption determination

Brilliant green was used as a complexing agent in cloud point extraction (CPE) and applied for selective preconcentration of trace amounts of gold in geological matrices. The analyte in the initial aqueous solution was acidified with hydrochloric acid (0.1 M) and octylphenoxypolyethoxyethanol (Triton X-114) was added as a surfactant. After phase separation, based on the cloud point separation of the mixture, the surfactant rich phase was diluted with methanol and the analyte determined in the surfactant rich phase by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). After optimization of the complexation and extraction conditions, a preconcentration factor of 31 was obtained for only 10 mL of sample. The analytical curve was linear in the range of 3–1000 ng mL⁻¹ and the limit of detection was 1.5 ng mL⁻¹. The proposed method was applied to the determination of gold in geological samples.     

Determination of ultra trace arsenic species in water samples by hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry after cloud point extraction

Cloud point extraction (CPE) methodology has successfully been employed for the preconcentration of ultra-trace arsenic species in aqueous samples prior to hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry (HGAAS). As(III) has formed an ion-pairing complex with Pyronine B in presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) at pH 10.0 and extracted into the non-ionic surfactant, polyethylene glycol tert-octylphenyl ether (Triton X-114). After phase separation, the surfactant-rich phase was diluted with 2 mL of 1 M HCl and 0.5 mL of 3.0% (w/v) Antifoam A. Under the optimized conditions, a preconcentration factor of 60 and a detection limit of 0.008 μg L⁻¹ with a correlation coefficient of 0.9918 was obtained with a calibration curve in the range of 0.03–4.00 μg L⁻¹. The proposed preconcentration procedure was successfully applied to the determination of As(III) ions in certified standard water samples (TMDA-53.3 and NIST 1643e, a low level fortified standard for trace elements) and some real samples including natural drinking water and tap water samples.     

Determination of estrogens in water by HPLC-UV using cloud point extraction

A method based on cloud point extraction was developed to determine four kinds of estrogens: estriol (E3), estradiol (E2), estrone (E1), and progesterone (P) in water by high performance liquid chromatography separation and ultraviolet detection (HPLC-UV). The non-ionic surfactant Triton X-114 was chosen as extractant solvent. The parameters affecting extraction efficiency, such as concentrations of Triton X-114 and Na₂SO₄, equilibration temperature, equilibration time and centrifugation time were evaluated and optimized. Under the optimum conditions, preconcentration factors of 99 for E3, 73 for E2, 152 for E1 and 86 for P were obtained for 10 mL water sample. The detection of limitation was 0.23 ng mL⁻¹ for E3, 0.32 ng mL⁻¹ for E2, 0.25 ng mL⁻¹ for E1 and 5.0 ng mL⁻¹ for P. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of trace amount of estrogens in wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent water and exposure water with 10 ng mL⁻¹ E2 for toxicological study in our lab. For the case of WWTP effluent water samples, no estrogen was found. The accuracy of the proposed method was tested by recovery measurements of spiked samples and good recoveries of 81.2-99.5% were obtained.     

Design of rapidly synergistic cloud point extraction of ultra-trace lead combined with flame atomic absorption spectrometry determination

In this work, traditional cloud point extraction (CPE) pattern was changed and improved by the proposed rapidly synergistic CPE. Using octanol as cloud point revulsant and synergic reagent, non-ionic surfactant Triton X-114 (TX-114) accomplished room temperature extraction rapidly without heating in water bath. The improved extraction was named as rapidly synergistic cloud point extraction (RS-CPE). Compared with traditional CPE, RS-CPE was accomplished in 1 min with considerably high extraction efficiency. The improved CPE pattern was coupled with flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) for the extraction and detection of trace lead in real and certified water samples with satisfactory analytical results. The proposed method greatly improved the sensitivity of FAAS for the determination of lead. Under the optimal conditions, the limit of detection (LOD) for lead was 4.3 μg/L, with enhancement factor (EF) of 39. Factors influencing RS-CPE efficiency, such as concentrations of surfactant TX-114 and octanol, concentration of chelating agent, pH, conditions of phase separation, environmental temperature, salt effect and instrumental conditions, were studied systematically.     

Selective cloud point extraction and preconcentration of trace amounts of silver as a dithizone complex prior to flame atomic absorption spectrometric determination

Dithizone (diphenylthiocarbazone) was used as a complexing agent in cloud point extraction for the first time and applied for selective preconcentration of trace amounts of silver. The analyte in the initial aqueous solution was acidified with sulfuric acid (pH<1) and Triton X-114 was added as a surfactant. After phase separation, based on the cloud point separation of the mixture, the surfactant rich phase was diluted with tetrahydrofuran (THF) and the analyte determined in the enriched solution by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. After optimization of the complexation and extraction conditions, a preconcentration factor of 43 was obtained for only 10 ml of sample. The analytical curve was linear in the range of 3-200 ng ml⁻¹ and the limit of detection was 0.56 ng ml⁻¹. The proposed method was applied to the determination of silver in water samples.     

Cloud point extraction and spectrophotometric determination of Cu(II) in saturated saline solutions using 4-ethyl-1-(pyridin-2-yl)thiosemicarbazide

4-Ethyl-1-(pyridin-2-yl)thiosemicarbazide (HEPTS) has been used as a new complexing agent in cloud point extraction (CPE) for preconcentration and determination of trace amounts of copper in saturated saline medium. The chemical variables affecting the separation and determination processes were optimized. Copper(II) is preconcentrated using 0.05% (w/v) Triton X-114 and 10⁻⁴ M HEPTS at pH 6. The surfactant rich phase containing the complex was dissolved in 2 mL MeOH and determined spectrophotometrically. The calibration curve is linear in the 0.1–25 ng/mL copper range. The proposed method was applied successfully in the determination of copper in water and saturated saline samples. The reaction between CuSO₄ and HEPTS yields a deep-blue solid complex which is characterized by analytical and spectroscopic analyses.     

Development of an inexpensive and sensitive method for the determination of low quantity of arsenic species in water samples by CPE-FAAS

The simple and rapid preconcentration technique using cloud point extraction (CPE) was applied for the determination of As(V) and total inorganic arsenic (As(V) plus As(III)) in water samples by means of FAAS. As(V) has formed an ion-pairing complex with Pyronine B in the presence of cetyl pyridinium chloride (CPC) at pH 8.0 and extracted into the non-ionic surfactant Triton X-114, after centrifugation the surfactant-rich phase was separated and diluted with 1.0 mol L⁻¹ HNO₃ in methanol. The proposed method is very versatile and economic because it exclusively used conventional FAAS. After optimization of the CPE conditions, a preconcentration factor of 120, the detection and quantification limits of 1.67 and 5.06 μg L⁻¹ with a correlation coefficient of 0.9978 were obtained from the calibration curve constructed in the range of 5.0-2200 μg L⁻¹. The relative standard deviation, RSD as a measure of precision was less than 4.1% and the recoveries were in the range of 98.2-102.4%, 97.4-101.2% and 97.8-101.1% for As(V), As(III) and total As, respectively. The method was validated by the analysis of standard reference materials, TMDA-53.3 and NIST 1643e and applied to the determination of As(III) and As(V) in some real samples including natural drinking water and tap water samples with satisfactory results. The results obtained (34.70 ± 1.08 μg L⁻¹ and 60.25 ± 1.07 μg L⁻¹) were in good agreement with the certified values (34.20 ± 1.38 μg L⁻¹ and 60.45 ± 1.78 μg L⁻¹).     

Optimization of cloud point extraction of copper with neocuproine from aqueous solutions using Taguchi fractional factorial design

Taguchi method was applied to optimize cloud point extraction (CPE) conditions for preconcentration and determination of trace amounts of copper by UV-Vis spectrophotometry. Briefly, the copper ions formed complexes with neocuproine in aqueous solution; then, Triton X-114 (0.15%, w/v) was added and phase separation occurred upon heating to 60°C. The copper complexes were preconcentrated into the small volume of the surfactant-rich phase; after centrifugation, the surfactant-rich phase was diluted with methanol and absorbance was measured at 455 nm. The main factors affecting the CPE were evaluated and optimized with Taguchi orthogonal array design (OA ₂₅). Under the optimum conditions, the calibration curve was linear in the range 2–500 μg/L (r ² > 0.997). The limit of detection and preconcentration factor were 1.8 μg/L and 37.2, respectively. The applicability of the proposed method was successfully confirmed by preconcentration and determination of trace amounts of copper in water samples and satisfactory results were obtained.     

Assessment of Inorganic Fibre Burden in Biological Samples by Scanning Electron Microscopy – Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy

A method based on cloud point extraction (CPE) separation/preconcentration of trace cadmium as a prior step to its determination by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) has been developed. If the system temperature is higher than the cloud point temperature (CPT) of the nonionic surfactant of p-octyl polyethyleneglycolphenyether (Triton X-100), the complex of Cd²⁺ with 1-(2-pyridylazo)-2-naphthol (PAN) could be extracted into surfactant-rich phase. The chemical variables affecting CPE were evaluated and optimized. Under the optimum conditions, preconcentrating 10.0 mL of water samples permitted a limit of detection of 5.9 ng · L⁻¹ (3σ) for cadmium with an enhancement factor of 50 and a relative standard deviation of 2.1% (n = 11, c = 2.0 ng · mL⁻¹). The method was applied to the determination of cadmium in reference material and water samples with satisfactory results.     

Cloud point and solid phase extraction of vanadium in surface and bottled mineral water samples using 8-hydroxyquinoline as a complexing reagent

Cloud point extraction (CPE) and solid phase extraction (SPE) methods were developed for the determination of ??g l^?1 of vanadium ions in surface, tap and bottled mineral water samples, based on the rapid reaction of vanadium(V) with 8- hydroxyquinoline (8-quinolinol) at pH 3?C5. Both the sensitive extraction methods were successfully employed for the preconcentration of V in real samples. For CPE, V complexed with 8-quinolinol and then was entrapped in non-ionic surfactant Triton X-114, while for SPE, V was adsorbed on XAD -2 impregnated with 8-quinolinol. The experimental conditions for SPE (pH, eluent, and contact time between the liquid sample and the resin) and CPE (pH of sample solution, concentration of 8- quinolinol and Triton X-114, equilibration temperature and time period for shaking) were investigated in detail. The validity of SPE/CPE of V was checked by certified reference material of water (SRM-1643e). The extracted surfactant-rich phase (200 ??l) was mixed with 200 ??l of HNO₃ in ethanol and this final volume was injected into electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry with different modifiers. Under these conditions, the preconcentration of 25 ml sample solution allowed the raising of an enrichment factor of 100 and 10 folds for CPE and SPE, respectively. The concentration of V in surface water (river and lake), tap water and bottled mineral water samples was found to be in the range of 1.30?C19.9, 1.05?C5.25 and 0.67?C1.21 ??g l^?1, respectively.     

Determination of bisphenol A and naphthols in river water samples by capillary zone electrophoresis after cloud point extraction

As a first attempt, cloud point extraction (CPE) was developed to preconcentrate bisphenol A (BPA), α-naphthol and β-naphthol prior to performing capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) analysis. The parameters influencing the CPE efficiency, such as Triton X-114 concentrations, pH value, extraction time and temperature were systematically evaluated.After diluting with acetonitrile, the surfactant-rich phase of CPE can be injected directly into the CE instrument. The CZE baseline separation was achieved with running buffer (pH 9.5) composed of 50 mM sodium tetraborate in 30% (v/v) methanol, and an applied voltage of 25 kV. Under the optimized CPE and CZE conditions, an preconcentration factor of 50 times could be obtained and the limit of quantification for the three analytes were found to be 1.67 μg L⁻¹, 0.80 μg L⁻¹ and 0.67 μg L⁻¹ for BPA, α-naphthol and β-naphthol, respectively. The proposed methods have shown to be a green, rapid and effective approach for determination of three analytes present in river water samples.     

Cloud point extraction–thermospray flame quartz furnace atomic absorption spectrometry for determination of ultratrace cadmium in water and urine

A simple, low cost and highly sensitive method based on cloud point extraction (CPE) for separation/preconcentration and thermospray flame quartz furnace atomic absorption spectrometry was proposed for the determination of ultratrace cadmium in water and urine samples. The analytical procedure involved the formation of analyte-entrapped surfactant micelles by mixing the analyte solution with an ammonium pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate (APDC) solution and a Triton X-114 solution. When the temperature of the system was higher than the cloud point of Triton X-114, the complex of cadmium-PDC entered the surfactant-rich phase and thus separation of the analyte from the matrix was achieved. Under optimal chemical and instrumental conditions, the limit of detection was 0.04 μg/L for cadmium with a sample volume of 10 mL. The analytical results of cadmium in water and urine samples agreed well with those by ICP-MS.     

Development of a cloud point extraction and preconcentration method for chromium(III) and total chromium prior to flame atomic absorption spectrometry

A sensitive and selective method has been developed for the determination of chromium in water samples based on using cloud point extraction (CPE) preconcentration and determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). The method is based on the complexation of Cr(III) ions with Brilliant Cresyl Blue (BCB) in the presence of non-ionic surfactant Triton X-114. Under the optimum conditions, the preconcentration of 50 mL of water sample in the presence of 0.5 g/L Triton X-114 and 1.2 × 10⁻⁵ M BCB permitted the detection of 0.42 μg/L chromium(III). The calibration graph was linear in the range of 1.5–70 μg/L, and the recovery of more than 99% was achieved. The proposed method was used in FAAS determination of Cr(III) in water samples and certified water samples. In addition, the developed CPE-FAAS method was also used for speciation of the inorganic chromium species after reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) using a thiosulphate solution of 120 mg/L in the presence of Hg(II) ion as a stabilizer.     

Evaluation of a cloud point extraction approach for the preconcentration and quantification of trace CuO nanoparticles in environmental waters

The cloud point extraction (CPE) of commercial copper(II) oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs, mean diameter of 28 nm) in water samples was fully investigated. Factors such as Triton X-114 (TX-114) concentration, pH, incubation temperature and time, were optimized. The effects of CuO NP behavior like agglomeration, dissolution, and surface adsorption of natural organic matter, Cu²⁺, and coating chemicals, on its recovery were studied. The results indicated that all the CPE factors had significant effects on the extraction efficiency. An enrichment factor of ∼89 was obtained under optimum CPE conditions. The hydrodynamic diameter of CuO NPs increased to 4–5 μm upon agglomeration of NP-micelle assemblies, and decreased at pH >10.0 at which the extraction efficiency was also lowered. The solubility and therefore, the loss of NPs were greatly enhanced at pH <8.5 and in the first 60 min of incubation, whereas it declined at elevated incubation temperatures. Our results showed that the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) >5 mg C L⁻¹ and Cu²⁺ >2 times that of CuO NPs, lowered and enhanced the extraction efficiency, respectively. Pre-treatment of samples with 3% w v⁻¹ of hydrogen peroxide and 10 mM of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid minimized the interferences posed by DOC and Cu²⁺, respectively. The decrease in CPE efficiency was also evident for ligands like poly(ethylene glycol). The TX-114-rich phase could be determined with either inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry following microwave digestion, or graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. The detection limits for CuO NPs were 0.02 and 0.06 μg L⁻¹ using these techniques, respectively. The optimum sample pre-treatment and CPE conditions were successfully applied to the river and wastewater samples. The relative recoveries of CuO NPs spiked at 5–100 μg L⁻¹ (as Cu) in these samples were in the range of between 59.2 and 108.2%. The approach demonstrates a robust analytical method for detecting trace levels of CuO NPs at their original states and assessing their exposure risks in real aquatic environments.     

Laser induced-thermal lens spectrometry after cloud point extraction for the determination of trace amounts of rhodium

A new combination method, employing thermal lens spectrometry (TLS) after cloud point extraction (CPE), has been developed for the preconcentration and determination of rhodium. TLS and CPE methods have good matching conditions for the combination because TLS is a suitable method for the analysis of low volume samples obtained after CPE.Rhodium was complexed with 1-(2-pyridylazo)-2-naphthol (PAN) as a complexing agent in an aqueous medium and concentrated by octylphenoxypolyethoxyethanol (Triton X-114) as a surfactant. After the phase separation at 50 °C based on the cloud point extraction of the mixture, the surfactant-rich phase was dried and the remaining phase was dissolved using 20 μL of carbon tetrachloride. The obtained solution was introduced into a quartz micro cell and the analyte was determined by laser induced-thermal lens spectrometry (LI-TLS). The single laser TLS was used as a sensitive method for the determination of Rhodium-PAN complex in 20 μL of the sample. Under optimum conditions, the analytical curve was linear for the concentration range of 0.5-50 ng mL⁻¹ and the detection limit was 0.06 ng mL⁻¹. The enhancement factor of 450 was achieved for 10 mL samples containing the analyte and relative standard deviations were lower than 5%. The developed method was successfully applied to the extraction and determination of rhodium in water samples.     

Determinaton of trace amounts of titanium by flame atomic absorption spectrometry after cloud point extraction

In this work a cloud-point extraction has been used for the preconcentration of the trace amounts of titanium after complex formation with morin (2′,3,4′,5,7-pentahydroxyflavone) using Triton X-114 as surfactant. The chemical variables affecting the phase separation and the viscosity affecting the detection by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) were optimized. At pH 4.5, preconcentration of 50 mL of sample in the presence of 0.08% Triton X-114 and 1.0 × 10^?4 M morin enabled the detection limit (c _L = 3S _b/m) of 2.9 ng/mL titanium and linear range 0.02–2.0 μg/mL to be achived. The preconcentration factor was 61, and the relative standard deviation was 3.8% for 0.1 μg/mL solution of Ti(IV) by repeated assays (n = 9). The proposed method has been applied to the determination of titanium in well water, spiked water and plant (Haloxylon).     

Cloud Point Extraction Preconcentration of Trace Cadmium as 1-Phenyl-3-methyl-4-benzoyl-5-pyrazolone Complex and Determination by Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry

A new method for the determination of trace cadmium in water samples by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) after cloud point extraction (CPE) is proposed. The method is based on the complexation of Cd with 1-phenyl-3-methyl-4-benzoyl-5-pyrazolone (PMBP) in the presence of non-ionic micelles of Triton X-100. The effect of experimental conditions such as pH, concentration of chelating agent and surfactant, equilibration temperature and time on cloud point extraction was studied. Under the optimum conditions, the detection limits are 0.64 ng mL^±1 with relative standard deviations (RSDs) of 2.1% (n = 10). The proposed method was applied to the determination of trace cadmium in water samples with satisfactory results.