Adsorption behavior of noble metal ions (Au, Ag, Pd) on nanometer-size titanium dioxide with ICP-AES.

The adsorption behavior of gold (Au), silver (Ag) and palladium (Pd) on nanometer-size titanium dioxide (NSTD) at low concentrations was studied using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). A preconcentration procedure of the analytes was carried out using NSTD as a solid-phase extractant before their determination by ICP-AES. The optimum conditions for adsorption were studied in detail, and under the condition that Au, Ag and Pd ions could be adsorbed and recovered quantitatively. The static adsorption capacities of Au, Ag and Pd on NSTD were 22.63, 14.06 and 11.82 mg/g, respectively. For the elution of gold, silver and palladium, a mixture of 5% thiourea solution and 3 mol L(-1) HNO3 was used. The parameters tested included: pH conditions, contact time of the analytes with NSTD, flow rate, adsorption capacity and sorption kinetics. According to the definition of IUPAC, the detection limits (3sigma) of this method for Au, Ag and Pd with an enrichment factor of 50 were (0.016), (0.006) and (0.012) microg mL(-1), respectively, the relative standard deviations (RSD) were 8.7%, 4.5% and 7.4%, respectively (n = 6). Some geological samples were determined with satisfactory results.     

Determination of precious metals in geological samples by continuous powder introduction microwave induced plasma atomic emission spectrometry after preconcentration on activated carbon

A novel method was developed for analysing geological materials for Au, Ag, Pd and Pt by continuous powder introduction microwave induced plasma atomic emission spectrometry (CPI-MIP-AES). The preconcentration of the trace metals on activated carbon (AC) was performed before conducting MIP-AES measurements in order to obtain accurate and precise analytical results. The method proposed is based on the selective sorption of precious metals that are subsequently introduced to the plasma as a dry particulate aerosol consisted of analytes collected on the sorbent. The technical design and operating conditions of the novel sample introduction system based on the fluidized-bed concept has been optimized. The microwave excitation source with integrated rectangular cavity TE₁₀₁ and vertically positioned plasma torch has been used. The signal stability proved to be adequate for sequential mode of measurements due to the vertical plasma configuration as well as the MIP-AES system compatibility with the CPI technique. Calibration was done using home-made standards obtained by sorption of metals of interest from standard solutions on activated carbon. Precision is typically 1-4% relative standard deviation at the 1 μg g⁻¹ level. Under measurement conditions the detection limits for Ag, Au, Pd and Pt were 24, 43, 57 and 550 ng per 1 g of AC, respectively. The proposed procedure was used for Au, Ag, Pd and Pt determination in the platinum ore SARM-7 as well as Au and Ag in the Chinese soil GBW-07405 certified reference materials. The standard addition technique was used and recoveries revealed that the proposed method shows good accuracy and precision.     

Radiochemical neutron activation analysis for determination of Au,Ag, Pt and Pd in geological samples

A procedure for separation of Au, Ag, Pt, and Pd in geological samples has been developed. After irradiation, samples were fused with Na₂O₂ and silver was separated by filtering through a PbCl₂ filter in 4M nitric acid solution. Au, Pt and Pd were concentrated with rhodium and thiourea as rhodium sulfide and the separation process of these elements was carried out by a chromatographic method. Au, Pt and Pd were retained on a Dowex-1×8 anion column in 1M HCl. Pd was eluted from the column by using a mixture of 75% HCl acid-25% acetone. Au was eluted by using a mixture of 10% HCl-90% acetone. In the gold fraction, Pt was also determined through the photopeak of¹⁹⁹Au radionuclide (158 keV). The method was simple and rapid.     

Highly efficient adsorbing noble metal ions by 3,4-dihydroxycinnamic acid-modified activated carbon

A method was established for the preconcentration of trace Au(III), Pd(II) and Pt(IV) by activated carbon modified with 3,4-dihydroxycinnamic acid. The separation and preconcentration conditions of analytes were investigated, such as effects of pH, the contacting time, the sample ?ow rate and volume, the elution condition and the interfering ions. At a pH of 1.0, the maximum static sorption capacity of the sorbent was found to be 374.8, 96.6 and 137.5 mg g^?1 for Au(III), Pd(II) and Pt(IV), respectively. The adsorbed metal ions were effectively eluted with 2.0 mL of 4% thiourea in 0.5 M HCl solution and determined by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. The detection limit (3σ) of this method defined by IUPAC was found to be 0.12, 0.18 and 0.32 ?g L^?1 for Au(III), Pd(II) and Pt(IV), respectively. The relative standard deviation (RSD) was lower than 3.0% (n = 8) towards standard solutions. The method has been validated by analysing certified reference materials and successfully applied to the determination of trace Au(III), Pd(II) and Pt(IV) in road sediments samples.     

Synthesis and characterisation of morin-functionalised silica gel for the enrichment of some precious metal ions

Silica gel was firstly functionalised with aminopropyltrimethoxysilane obtaining the aminopropylsilica gel (APSG). The APSG was reacted subsequently with morin yielding morin-bonded silica gel (morin-APSG). The structure was investigated and confirmed by elemental and thermogravimetric analyses, IR and (13)C NMR spectral studies. Morin-APSG was found to be highly stable in common organic solvents, acidic medium (<2molL(-1) HCl, HNO(3)) or alkaline medium up to pH 8. The separation and preconcentration of Ag(I), Au(III), Pd(II), Pt(II) and Rh(III) from aqueous medium using morin-APSG was studied. The optimum pH values for the separation of Ag(I), Au(III), Pd(II), Pt(II) and Rh(III) on the sorbent are 5.7, 2.2, 3.7, 3.7 and 6.8, giving rise to separation efficiencies of 43.9, 85.9, 97.7, 60.9 and 91.0%, respectively, where the activity was found to be >90% in the presence of acetate ion. The ion sorption capacity of morin-APSG towards Cu(II) at pH 5.5 was found to be 0.249mmolg(-1) where the sorption capacities of Ag(I) and Pd(II) were 0.087 and 0.121mmolg(-1) and 0.222 and 0.241mmolg(-1) at pH 2.2 and 5.7, respectively. This indicates a 1:1 and 1:2 morin/metal ratios at pH 2.2 and 5.7, respectively. Complete elution of the sorbed metal ions was carried out using 10mL (0.5molL(-1) HCl+0.01molL(-1) thiourea) in case of Au(III), Pd(II), Pt(II) and Rh(III) and 10mL 0.5molL(-1) HNO(3) in case of Ag(I). Morin-APSG was successfully employed in the separation and preconcentration of the investigated precious metal ions from some spiking water samples yielding 100-folds concentration factor. The relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) and the T-test (|t|(1)) were calculated.     

Synthesis of rhodanine-bonded silica gel and its application in the preconcentration and separation of noble metals

A silica gel based sorbent containing rhodanine as functional group (RDSG) was prepared. Its adsorption and separation characteristics for Ag(I), Au(III) and Pd(II) were studied by flow-injection (FI) on-line preconcentration. Influence of different experimental parameters such as acidity, eluent, co-existing ions were investigated. Trace amounts of Ag, Au and Pd could be efficiently adsorbed by rhodanine-bonded silica gel from acidic solution and eluted with thiourea solution. Common co-existing ions exhibited virtually no interference to the preconcentration and determination. The adsorption capacity of RDSG was 0.0352, 0.107 and 0.122 mmol/g for Ag, Au and Pd, respectively. Detection limits of 0.004, 0.022 and 0.019 microg/mL for Ag, Au and Pd, respectively, were achieved with a sampling time of 60 s at a flow rate of 5.0 mL/min. The relative standard deviation were 0.5%, 0.9% and 1.7% for 0.040 microg/mL Ag, 0.200 microg/mL Au and 0.300 microg/mL Pd. The sorption property did not change after 1,000 cycles of sorption-desorption. The contents of Ag and Au in three national certified ore samples and Pd in a secondary nickel alloy, an anode slime and a CoCl2 electrolytic solution were determined. The results showed good agreement with the certified values.     

Synthesis of rhodanine-bonded silica gel and its application in the preconcentration and separation of noble metals

A silica gel based sorbent containing rhodanine as functional group (RDSG) was prepared. Its adsorption and separation characteristics for Ag(I), Au(III) and Pd(II) were studied by flow-injection (FI) on-line preconcentration. Influence of different experimental parameters such as acidity, eluent, co-existing ions were investigated. Trace amounts of Ag, Au and Pd could be efficiently adsorbed by rhodanine-bonded silica gel from acidic solution and eluted with thiourea solution. Common co-existing ions exhibited virtually no interference to the preconcentration and determination. The adsorption capacity of RDSG was 0.0352, 0.107 and 0.122 mmol/g for Ag, Au and Pd, respectively. Detection limits of 0.004, 0.022 and 0.019 μg/mL for Ag, Au and Pd, respectively, were achieved with a sampling time of 60 s at a flow rate of 5.0 mL/min. The relative standard deviation were 0.5%, 0.9% and 1.7% for 0.040 μg/mL Ag, 0.200 μg/mL Au and 0.300 μg/¶mL Pd. The sorption property did not change after 1000 cycles of sorption-desorption. The contents of Ag and Au in three national certified ore samples and Pd in a secondary nickel alloy, an anode slime and a CoCl₂ electrolytic solution were determined. The results showed good agreement with the certified values.     

Electrothermal vaporization inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry determination of gold, palladium, and platinum using chelating resin YPA(4) as both extractant and chemical modifier

A new method for determination of trace gold (Au), palladium (Pd), and platinum (Pt) in environmental and geological samples by electrothermal vaporization (ETV)-inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) with the use of chelating resin YPA₄ as both solid phase extractant and chemical modifier has been developed. The resin loaded with analytes was prepared to slurry and directly introduced into the graphite furnace without any pretreatment. The factors affecting the vaporization behaviors of Au, Pd, and Pt were investigated in detail. It was found that, in the presence of YPA₄, Au and Pd could be quantitatively vaporized at lower vaporization temperature of 1900 °C. Compared with the conventional electrothermal vaporization, the vaporization temperature was decreased by 700 °C, and the detection limits for Au and Pd was decreased by a three-fold. However, a little effect of YPA₄ on the ETV-ICP-AES determination of Pt was found. Under the optimized conditions, the detection limits (3σ) of Au, Pd, and Pt for this method are 75, 60, and 217 pg, respectively; and their relative standard deviations (R.S.D.) are 4.4, 5.6, and 3.7%, respectively (n=9, C=0.2 μg ml⁻¹). The proposed method has been applied to the determination of trace Pd and Pt in sewage sludge, and the results well agreed with the recommended values. In order to further verify the accuracy of the developed method, a GBW07293 certified geological reference material and an auto catalyst NIST SRM 2557 reference material were analyzed, and the determined values coincided with the certified values very well.     

Synthesis of amidinothioureido-silica gel and its application to flame atomic absorption spectrometric determination of silver, gold and palladium with on-line preconcentration and separation

A simple and highly selective flow injection (FI) on-line preconcentration and separation flame atomic absorption spectrometric (FAAS) method was developed for the determinations of trace amounts of silver, gold and palladium. The selective preconcentration of the noble metals was achieved in a wide range of sample acidity (0.1-6 M HNO₃ or HCl) on a microcolumn packed with amidinothioureido-silica gel (ATuSG). The analytes retained on the column were effectively eluted with 5.0% thiourea solution. The analytical procedure was optimized for sample acidity, elution, interferences, flow rate of sampling and eluting, and concentration of sample. Common co-existing cations and anions did not interfere with the preconcentration and determination of the three metals. At a sample loading flow rate of 4.5 ml min⁻¹ with 60 s preconcentration, detection limits (3σ) of 1.1 ng ml⁻¹ Ag, 13 ng ml⁻¹ Au and 17 ng ml⁻¹ Pd were obtained. The precisions (R.S.D., n=11) were 1.2% for Ag, 1.2% for Au and 1.7% for Pd, respectively. The detection limits can be further improved by increasing sample volume. The analytical results obtained by the proposed method for a number of standard reference materials were in good agreement with the certified values.     

Interference-free determination of trace levels of gold and palladium in geological and metallurgical samples by flame atomic absorption spectrometry coupled with a flow injection on-line microcolumn preconcentration and separation system

A simple and highly selective method was developed for the routine determination of trace or ultratrace amounts of gold and palladium in geological and metallurgical samples. The method uses flow injection on-line preconcentration and separation with determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. Au and Pd in the sample are adsorbed on a 2-mercaptopyrimidine chemically modified silica gel (MPMSG) packed microcolumn in a 0.50M HCl medium and then eluted with 0.5 or 1.0% thiourea solution. The eluates are introduced into the flame atomic absorption spectrometer directly. With the use of a 0.85 mL microcolumn (about 0.14 g MPMSG packed), the present system tolerated concentrations of common base metal ions up to 25.0 mg/mL and concentrations of anions up to 100.0 mg/mL when Au(III) at 0.100 microg/mL and Pd(II) at 0.200 microg/mL were preconcentrated for 60 s with a sample flow rate of 5.0 mL/min. The limits of detection were 3.1 ng/mL for Au(III) and 6.1 ng/mL for Pd(II) with relative standard deviations of < or = 2.5%. The analytical results obtained by the proposed method for geological and metallurgical samples were in good agreement with the certified values.     

Analytical characterization of a silica gel sorbent with thioetheric sites

The sorption behavior of a newly synthesized silica gel sorbent with thioetheric sites (STS) towards microgram levels of Au(III), Pt(IV) and Pd(II) was studied. Au(III) is quantitatively (>95%) sorbed in the pH region of 1–9. The sorption of Pt(IV) starts at pH 1 and does not exceed 25% in the entire pH region examined. The sorption of Pd(II) starts at pH 7 and reaches 80% at pH 9. The sorption of Au(III) on STS at pH 1 is not affected by milligram amounts of Ni(II), Zn(II), Fe(III), Cu(II), Pb(II), Cd(II) or Co(II). Au(III) is quantitatively eluted with a 5% aqueous solution of thiourea. The adsorption capacity of STS towards Au(III) is 195 mg g⁻¹. The detection limit (DL) of Au(III) (3σ, n = 9) is 25 ng mL⁻¹. The RSD at a level of 10 × DL is about 2%. Solid-phase extraction of trace amounts of Au(III) on the STS sorbent, followed by its flame AAS determination in the eluate was applied to the determination of gold in geological samples. The results obtained for the gold content in the samples were in good agreement with those of the ICP-AES analysis.     

Determination of physiological noble metals in human urine using liquid-liquid extraction and Zeeman electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

An extremely sensitive, reliable and simple procedure is described for the determination of physiological palladium, platinum and gold in human urine. The urine samples were adjusted to pH 4 (Pd, Au) or pH 5 (Pt), followed by conversion of the analytes to their pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate complexes. These complexes were separated from the matrix by liquid-liquid extraction into 4-methyl-2-pentanone resulting in a 25-fold enrichment. Determination was by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ET-AAS) using longitudinal inverse alternating current Zeeman-effect background correction. The limits of detection calculated from three standard deviations of the blank values were 20 ng l⁻¹ for Pd and Au and 70 ng l⁻¹ Pt. Within-day precision (n = 10, 5 μg l⁻¹) ranged 5.2%–7.7%. The procedure is successfully applied to determine urinary palladium, platinum and gold in nine unexposed persons. Palladium levels in urine ranged < 20–80 ng l⁻¹ (arithmetical MEAN=38.7 ng l⁻¹), while gold levels ranged < 20–130 ng l⁻¹ (36.0 ng l⁻¹). Physiological platinum levels in urine were all < 70 ng l⁻¹. The accuracy of the procedure was checked by analyzing a series of urine samples by a second independent method (magnetic sector field inductively-coupled plasma-mass spectrometry) in combination with UV photolysis.     

Synthesis of polyacrylaminoimidazole chelating fiber and properties of concentration and separation of trace Au, Hg and Pd from samples

A novel polyacrylaminoimidazole chelating fiber is synthesized simply and rapidly from nitrilon (an acrylonitrile-based synthetic fiber) and used for the preconcentration and separation of trace Au(III), Hg(II) and Pd(IV) ions from solution samples. The analyzed ions can be quantitatively concentrated by the fiber up to a flow rate of 15.0 mlmin(-1) at pH 3 and can also be desorbed with 15 ml of 4 M HCl+3% thiourea from the fiber column, with recoveries of 96.5-100%. The chelating fiber is reused ten times; the recoveries of these ions are still over 92%, and 100-1000 times of excess of Fe(III), Al(III), Ca(II), Mg(II), Ni(II), Mn(II), Cu(II), Zn(II) and Cd(II) causes no interference in the determination of these ions by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry. The capacities of the fiber for the analytes are in the range of 1.56-2.92 mmolg(-1). The results show that the relative standard deviations for the determination of 50.0 ngml(-1) each of Au(III), Hg(IV) and Pd(IV) are in the range of 0.7-2.1%. The recoveries of a standard added in real solution samples are between 97 and 99%, and the concentration of each ion in powder sample detected by the method is in good agreement with the certified value.     

Sorption-luminescence determination of gold,silver, and platinum with the use of silica gel chemically modified with <Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-(1,3,4-thiodiazole-2-thiol)-<Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>′-propylurea groups

Silica gel chemically modified with N-(1,3,4-thiodiazole-2-thiol)-N′-propylurea extracted gold(III) from solutions in the range of 6 M HCl-pH 8 and silver(I) from nitric acid solutions in the range of 6 M HNO₃-pH 8 and 1–2 M HCl at 20°C with 99.0–99.9% recovery and a sorption equilibration time of 5 min. Platinum(II) was quantitatively extracted at room temperature from solutions in the range of 4 M HCl-pH 8; the sorption equilibration time was 20 min. For the quantitative extraction of platinum(IV), it should be reduced to platinum(II). The intense yellowish orange luminescence (λ_max (Au) = 575 nm, λ_max (Ag) = 550 nm, and λ_max(Pt) = 620 nm) of surface complexes at 77 K under UV irradiation was used in the development of procedures for the low-temperature sorption-luminescence determination of gold, silver, and platinum. The detection limits were 0.15 (Au), 0.1 (Ag), and 0.05 μg (Pt) per 0.1 g sorbent. The calibration function was linear to 50 (Au, Ag) or 80 μg (Pt) per 0.1 g sorbent. The relative standard deviation in the determination of more than 5 μg of a metal was no higher than 6%. The sorption-luminescence determination procedures were tested in the determination of gold in gold-containing concentrates and their processing products and platinum in alumina-platinum catalysts.     

On-line preconcentration and determination of Au(III) in various environmental/industrial samples by flame atomic absorption spectrometry

A rapid and simple on-line method is described for the determination of Au(III) in various samples. The method is based on the sorption of gold(III) on Lewatit MonoPlus TP207 chelating resin including the iminodiacetate group, which is used as sorbent material and packed in a minicolumn. The chemical variables such as the pH of the sample solution, eluent type, interfering ions and concentrations of reagents, and instrumental variables such as sample loading volume, reagents flow rates, and tubing length, which affect the efficiency of the method were studied and optimised. Au(III) was sorbed on the chelating resin, from which it could be eluted with 3 mol L^?1 HCl, and then introduced directly to the nebuliser-burner system of FAAS. The limit of detection of the method was 0.2 µg L^?1 while the relative standard deviation was <4.0% for 20 µg L^?1 Au(III) concentration. The preconcentration factor was found to be 106 while the optimised sample volume was 15.3 mL. The accuracy of the method was verified by analysing the certified reference material. The developed method was applied successfully for the determination of gold in different samples with satisfactory results.     

SnO2负载Au和M-Au(M=Pt,Pd)催化剂及其低温催化氧化CO性能

以SnO₂为载体, 采用沉积沉淀法(DP)、共沉淀法(CP)和浸渍法(IM)制备了金负载Au/SnO₂催化剂, 同时采用沉积沉淀法制备了M-Au/SnO₂(M=Pd, Pt)双金属负载催化剂. 通过X射线衍射(XRD)、BET比表面积测定、透射电镜(TEM)和X射线光电子能谱(XPS)等技术对样品进行表征, 并测定其对CO的催化活性. 结果表明: 与CP法和IM 法相比, DP法制备的Au/SnO₂-DP 催化剂, Au 颗粒(<5 nm)较小, 分布均匀; Au/SnO₂-DP 中的Au 是以金属态Au0存在, 而Au/SnO₂-CP 和Au/SnO₂-IM 中, 金以Au⁰和Au³⁺的混合价态存在, 在Au/SnO₂-DP和M-Au/SnO₂中的Au、Pt、Pd和SnO₂之间存在相互作用; Au/SnO₂-DP 催化性能明显优于Au/SnO₂-CP 和Au/SnO₂-IM. Au与Pt 和Pd的双金属复合催化剂催化活性明显提高. 不同方法制备Au/SnO₂催化活性的差别主要是由于Au颗粒大小和Au氧化态的不同而产生. 而M-Au/SnO₂活性提高, 可能是由于Au与Pt 和Pd之间的相互作用.     

Differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetric determination of Cd and Pb at a bismuth glassy carbon electrode modified with Nafion, poly(2,5-dimercapto-1,3,4-thiadiazole) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes

A simple, cheap, and nonpolluting method was developed for the cloud point extraction of gold (Au) and palladium (Pd). It is based on the complexation reaction of Au and Pd with 1-phenyl-3-methyl-4-benzoyl-5-pyrazolone (PMBP) and micelle mediated extraction of the complex using the non-ionic surfactant poly(ethylene glycol) mono-p-nonylphenyl ether (PONPE 7.5). Under the optimized experimental conditions, the enrichment factors are 16 and 17 for Au and Pd, respectively, for 15?mL of preconcentrated solution. The limits of detection are 3.8???g?L^?1 and 1.8???g?L^?1 for Au and Pd, respectively. The relative standard deviations are 1.4% for Au and 0.6% for Pd (n?=?11). The method was successfully applied to the determination of Au and Pd in certified reference materials and mine samples.

Role of metal matrix modifier in ashing and beginning of the atomization process in graphite furnace-atomic absorption spectrometry

Summary It has been shown that Pb, Sn and In form alloys with the Pd matrix modifier during the ashing and the beginning of the atomization process in graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry.Pb and Sn were chosen as analytes and Ag, Sb, Cu, Au, Pt, Pd, Cd, and Mg as co-existing elements or matrix modifiers. The activity coefficients of Pb in the alloys Pb-Ag and Pb-Sb are similar to the value of Pb alone (or about 1.0), and those in the alloys Pb-Au, Pb-Pt and Pb-Mg are lower than the value of 1.0; in particular the activity coefficients of Sn in the alloy Sn-Pd is extremely low. The activity coefficients of Pb in the alloys Pb-Cd and Pb-Cu are higher than 1.0.The movement of volatilization to higher effective temperatures in the atomization were studied; it was found that: 1) Where the activity coefficient of the analyte was lower than 1.0, intermetallic compounds were formed and the atomization shifted to higher temperatures. 2) Atomization was not altered (even though the activity coefficients were different from 1.0) if the modifier elements formed alloys with Pb, which had melting temperatures lower than the ashing and the initial temperatures of the atomization of Pb. 3) For metals such as Mg, which are neither reduced to metal nor form alloys with the analyte during the ashing and the atomization process, the role as matrix modifier is different, as has also been studied herein.     

Ultrasound-assisted extraction of gold and silver from environmental samples using different extractants followed by electrothermal-atomic absorption spectrometry

Ultrasound-assisted extraction combined with electrothermal-atomic absorption spectrometry has been applied to the determination of silver and gold at μg g^{− 1} levels in different environmental samples such as soil, sediment, fly ash and industrial sludge. Two different extraction systems have been tried, i.e. acid mixtures (HCl, HF, and HNO₃) and thiourea in diluted H₂SO₄ medium. In both cases, an efficient cup-horn sonoreactor was used as ultrasonic device to accelerate the extraction process. This ultrasonic processor allows the use of any extractant including HF and simultaneous treatment of up to six samples. Recovery ranged from 81% to 107% for silver, and from 91% to 105% for gold. Optimal acid mixtures were 25% v/v HNO₃ + 25% v/v HF for Ag and 25% v/v HNO₃ + 25% v/v HCl for Au. The thiourea method required 0.6% m/v thiourea + 2% v/v H₂SO₄. The latter method was considered advantageous since efficient Au and Ag extractions were obtained in a short time, and moreover, wastes generated were less harmful to the environment. Limits of detection for Ag and Au were 0.012 and 0.050 μg g^{− 1}, respectively. Repeatability expressed as relative standard deviation ranged from 2 to 10% for both metals. Both extraction methods were applied to the determination of Au and Ag in sediments and soils located at different sampling points from Galicia (Spain).