Potential use of tungstocerate matrices on the separation of <Superscript>113m</Superscript>In from <Superscript>110m</Superscript>Ag relevant to the separation of the cyclotron-produced <Superscript>111</Superscript>In from its silver target

A procedure for separation of no-carrier-added ^113mIn(III) radioisotope from a bulk of ^110mAg has been developed. The sorption behavior of ^113mIn(III) and ^110mAg(I) ions in HNO₃ acid solutions on different tungstocerate matrices showed high affinity of ^110mAg(I) ions towards tungstocerate(IV) gel matrices compared with ^113mIn(III) ions. No-carrier-added ^113mIn radionuclide was separated from ^110mAg on 12-tungstocerate(IV) column matrix. 11 mL 0.3M HNO₃ acid solution was enough for eluting the ^113mIn from the column bed. ^110mAg was recovered from the column by eluting the column bed with 12 mL 2M HNO₃ acid solution.     

Factors affecting the sorption behavior of Cs<Superscript>+</Superscript> and Sr<Superscript>2+</Superscript> using biosorbent material

In this study, saw dust has been used as precursor for production of low cost activated carbon using potassium hydroxide (KOH) and steam activation technique. The activated carbon was used to remove Cs⁺ and Sr²⁺ ions from aqueous solutions by batch operation, and the extent of adsorption was investigated as a function of solution pH, temperature, shaking time, and initial concentration. The influence of interfering ions was also investigated. The removal of metal ions was pH dependent and the adsorption capacity reaches its maximum 43% and 61.5% at pH 5.0 and 6.0 for Cs⁺ and Sr²⁺ ions, respectively. Thermodynamic studies showed different behaviours where an endothermic, non-spontaneous process was shown for Cs⁺ while an exothermic, spontaneous process was obtained for Sr²⁺. The kinetic data of both ions was described well by pseudo-second order rate equation. The two equilibrium models (Langmuir and Freundlich) have been also applied. Desorption studies indicated that HCl was the most effective desorbing eluent. The investigated adsorbent showed good results towards cesium and strontium removal from aqueous media that could be a promising method due to its low-cost and good efficiency.     

Preparation of graphene oxide and its application in Ni<Superscript>2+</Superscript> removal

Graphene oxide (GO) has been prepared by the modified Hummers method using graphite as starting material. The product was studied by the X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopic, transmission electron microscopic (TEM), and scanning electron microscopic (SEM) analyses. Adsorption capacity of GO for heavy metal ions was studied for the example of the Ni²⁺ ions and the adsorption kinetics and adsorption isotherm were determined. It was shown that the adsorption equilibrium curves are adequately described by the Langmuir equation.     

Simultaneous determination of Cu(II) and Ag(I) on SP Sephadex C25 as complexes with 1-phenyl-1,2-propanedione-2-oximethiosemicarbazone by derivative spectrophotometry

A simple, rapid, and sensitive method has been developed for the simultaneous determination of trace amounts of copper and silver using 1-phenyl-1,2-propanedione-2-oximethiosemicarbazone (PPDOT) as a chromogenic reagent. The proposed method was based on retention and preconcentration of the complexes Cu(III)-PPDOT and Ag(I)-PPDOT on a solid phase in acid medium. The complexes were quantitatively retained in the cation exchanger SP Sephadex C25, and the analytical measurements were executed directly in the solid phase by derivative spectrophotometry. In this simultaneous determination, the second derivative and the zero crossing method were used. The determination of copper and silver was carried out to 321.0 and 427.0 nm, respectively. In order to obtain quantitative recoveries of the metal ions, various experimental analytical parameters, such as pH, stirring time, volume, and amount of solid phase, were optimized. The effect of interfering ions on the determination was described. The recovery values for Cu(II) and Ag(I) were found to be > 98%, and the relative standard deviation was < or = 2%. The detection limits (3sigma criterion) for Cu(II) and Ag(I) were found to be 0.9 x 10(-8) and 13 x 10(-8) M, respectively. The developed method was utilized for preconcentration and determination of Cu(II) and Ag(I) in industrial effluents and natural water samples. The results were consistent with those provided by inductively coupled plasma/mass spectrometry.     

Adsorption and radiochemical separation of caesium(I) using zirconium phosphate ion exchanger

A rapid and selective method has been developed for the separation of caesium(I) from other metal ions by adsorbing it on zirconium phosphate ion exchanger. Various parameters involved in the quantitative adsorption of caesium(I) on the ion exchanger have been evaluated employing¹³⁷Cs as a tracer.     

Fast recovery of Au (III) and Ag(I) via amine-modified zeolitic imidazolate framework-8

In this paper, zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 modified by the ethanediamine (NH₂-ZIF-8) was employed for adsorbing Au (III) and Ag(I) from aqueous solutions. The adsorption capacities of NH₂-ZIF-8 towards Au (III) and Ag(I) were found to be significantly affected by the pH values of the solution. The adsorption kinetics studies show that NH₂-ZIF-8 presents a fast adsorption property towards metals, attaining 93% of adsorption equilibrium uptake for Au (III) within the first 30 min. This phenomenon can be ascribed to the coordination interaction between the amino group and Au (III). The thermodynamic data suggest that the adsorption of NH₂-ZIF-8 towards Au (III) is endothermic process, while that for Ag(I) is exothermic. The maximum adsorption capacities of NH₂-ZIF-8 toward Au (III) and Ag(I) can be achieved to 357 mg·g⁻¹ and 222.25 mg·g⁻¹, respectively. The metal ions interference results show that Cu (II) and Ni (II) hardly have no interference on Au (III) adsorption in e-waste containing 1500 mg·l⁻¹ Cu (II),100 mg·l⁻¹ Ni (II) and 10 mg·l⁻¹ Au (III); while for Ag(I), Cd (II) and Zn (II) have little interference on Ag(I) adsorption in the hybrid solutions containing Ag(I), Ni (II), Cd (II) and Zn (II) with equal concentration (50 mg·l⁻¹), but Ni (II) interference most. The XPS study shows that partial Au (III) was reduced to Au(I), and that Ag(I) was completely reduced to Ag(0) during the adsorption process. The abundant of active sites of NH₂-ZIF-8 containing C=N, N-H, and Zn-OH groups play a key role in the adsorption of Au (III) and Ag(I). In addition, electrostatic interaction can be responsible for the adsorption of Au (III) by NH₂-ZIF-8. The regeneration experiments results show that the adsorption capacities of NH₂-ZIF-8 towards Au (III) and Ag(I) can maintain after three cycles. This work provides a reliable method to improve the adsorption kinetics for metal ions.     

An imprinted polymer for removal of Cd<Superscript>2+</Superscript> from water samples: Optimization of adsorption and recovery steps by experimental design

A new ion-imprinted polymer（ⅡP） was synthesized by copolymerization of 4-vinylpyridine（monomer）, ethyleneglycoldimethacrylate（cross-linker） and 2,2-azobis-isobutyronitrile（initiator） in the presence of Cd²⁺ and quinaldic acid（complexing agent）.It was found that the adsorption capacity of IIP and blank polymer were 45.0 and 6.2 mg g^-1, respectively.The relative selectivity coefficients of the imprinted polymer for different binary mixture were also calculated. Compared to non-imprinted polymer（NIP）,theⅡP had higher selectivity for Cd（Ⅱ）.TheⅡP was used as a sorbent for cadmium extraction from water samples by using a simple batch extraction procedure.The effect of different parameters on Cd²⁺ extraction and its recovery from theⅡP were evaluated and optimized by using experimental design methodology.The optimized adsorption/desorption procedure was applied for cadmium removal from the real water samples.The obtained recoveries proved that thisⅡP could be used for removal of trace cadmium ions from water samples.     

Efficient determination of some potentially toxic metal ions from real samples via modified nano-γ-alumina-based solid-phase extraction followed by flame atomic absorption spectrometric analysis

In the current research work, trace amounts of the Ni(II), Cu(II), Ag(I) and Zn(II) ions in water, cabbage and pomegranate juice were determined via the solid-phase extraction approach based on a new selective adsorbent in the continuous mode followed by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. This efficient and safe sorbent was easily prepared from the immobilisation of 2-(5-bromo-2-pyridylazo)-5-diethylaminophenol (5-BrPADAP), as a selective chelating agent, onto nano-γ-alumina coated with sodium dodecyl sulphate. Nano-γ-alumina was successfully synthesised by the solution combustion procedure and was subsequently analysed by various techniques including SEM, XRD and BET. The parameters involved in the metal ions extraction including the sample pH and volume, amount of sorbent, flow rates of the sample and the eluent, and type and concentration of the eluting agent were optimised. Under the optimal operating conditions, the proposed sample preparation method provided the good linear dynamic ranges (LDRs) 6–300, 4–300, 4–110 and 4–300 µg L^?1 for the Ni(II), Cu(II), Ag(I) and Zn(II) ions, respectively, with the correlation of determinations (R²s) higher than 0.99. The detection limit (LOD) and repeatability (RSD%) values (n = 8) obtained were found to be in the ranges of 1.50–2.00 µg L^?1 and 4.44–5.52%, respectively. The calculated enrichment factors were found to be 166.6, 166.6, 200 and 200 for the Cu(II), Ag(I), Ni(II) and Zn(II) ions, respectively. According to the adsorption studies, the Freundlich isotherm and the pseudo-second-order model showed reasonable fits to the experimental data. Also, thermodynamic studies demonstrated that the adsorption process was spontaneous and exothermic.     

Combined determination of <Superscript>99</Superscript>Tc and <Superscript>108m</Superscript>Ag in L/ILW liquid wastes

The low- and intermediate-activity level liquid wastes produced by the Paks Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) contain routinely measureable gamma-emitting (e.g., ⁵⁴Mn, ⁶⁰Co, ^110mAg, and ¹³⁷Cs) as well as many so-called “difficult-to-measure” radionuclides. Despite of their low specific activity compared to the total, the reliable determination of these radionuclides is an important issue of nuclear waste management. The increasing amount of waste samples to be qualified yearly by our laboratory put a pressure on revising the existing procedure of ⁹⁹Tc separation applied. We have managed to halve the initial amount of the sample required to achieve the same level of detection of technetium. Furthermore, one of the new purifying steps introduced have proved to be able to separate ^108mAg (and ^110mAg) better than 99% keeping the ⁹⁹Tc content of the product almost intact. Means of separation of ⁹⁹Tc from ¹⁰⁶Ru and ^124+125Sb have also been successfully investigated. As intended, this new procedure has a major impact on the chemical reagent as well as the electricity requirement of the separation making it more cost-effective.     

Selective separation of silver(I) and mercury(II) ions in natural water samples using alumina modified thiouracil derivatives as new solid phase extractors

A simple and reliable solid-phase extraction (SPE) method has been developed to synthesise two new sorbents: 6-propyl-2-thiouracil and 5,6-diamino-2-thiouracil physically loaded onto alumina surface, phases I and II, respectively. The synthesis of these new phases has been confirmed by IR-spectroscopy. The surface concentrations of the organic moieties were determined to be 0.182 and 0.562 mmol g^?1 for phases I and II, respectively. The evaluation of the selectivity and metal uptake properties incorporated in these two alumina phases were also studied and discussed for 10 different metal ions: Ca(II), Fe(III), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), Zn(II), Cd(II), Hg(II), Pb(II) and Ag(I) under different controlling factors. The data obtained clearly indicated that the new SP-extractors have the highest affinity for retention of Hg(II) ions. Selective separation of Hg(II) from Ag(I) as one of the most interfering ion, in addition to the other eight coexisting metal ions under investigation, was achieved successfully using the new sorbents at pH = 9.0 under static conditions. Therefore, Hg(II) exhibits major retention percentage (100.0%) using phase I or II. However, Ag(I) exhibits minor retention percentage equal to 1.33% using phase I and 0.67% using phase II. On the other hand, the retention percentage of the other eight metal ions ranged (0.0–3.08%) using phase I and (0.0–1.54%) using phase II at the same pH. The new phases were applied for separation and determination of trace amounts of Hg(II) and Ag(I) spiked natural water samples using cold vapour atomic absorption spectroscopy and atomic absorption spectroscopy with no matrix interference. The high recovery values of Hg(II) and Ag(I) obtained using phases I and II were ranged 98.9 ± 0.1–99.2 ± 0.05% along with a good precision (RSD% 0.01–0.502%, N = 3) demonstrate the accuracy and validity of the new sorbents for separation and determination of Hg(II) and Ag(I).     

Solid phase extraction of trace amounts of silver (I) using dithizone-immobilized alumina-coated magnetite nanoparticles prior to determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry

A new, simple, fast and reliable solid-phase extraction (SPE) method has been developed to separation/preconcentration of trace amounts of silver ion from environmental water samples using dithizone/sodium dodecyl sulfate immobilized on alumina-coated magnetite nanoparticles (DTZ/SDS-ACMNPs) and its determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The coating of alumina on Fe₃O₄ NPs not only avoids the dissolving of Fe₃O₄ NPs in acidic solution, but also extends their application without sacrificing their unique magnetization characteristics. This method avoided the time-consuming column-passing process of loading large volume samples in traditional SPE through the rapid isolation of DTZ/SDS-ACMNPs with an adscititious magnet. Optimal experimental conditions including amount of DTZ/SDS, pH value, standing time, sample volume, type, volume and concentration of eluent and co-existing ions have been studied and established. Under the optimal experimental conditions, the detection limit for Ag(I) with enrichment factors of 100 was found to be 0.52?ng?mL^?1 and its relative standard deviations (RSD) was 3.4% (n?=?10, C?=?5.0?µg?mL^?1). The linear range of calibration curve for Ag(I) was 2–5000?ng?mL^?1 with a correlation coefficient of 0.9991. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of target analyte in different water and wastewater samples. The validity of the method has been checked by applying it to study the recovery of silver ion in spiked water and wastewater samples.     

Selective and sensitive optical chemosensor for detection of Ag(I) ions based on 2(4-hydroxy pent-3-en-2-ylideneamine) phenol in aqueous samples

A selective and sensitive chemosensor, based on the 2(4-hydroxy pent-3-en-2-ylideneamine) phenol (HPYAP) as chromophore, has been developed for colorimetric and visual detection of Ag(I) ions. HPYAP shows a considerable chromogenic behavior toward Ag(I) ions by changing the color of the solution from pale-yellow to very chromatic-yellow, which can be easily detected with the naked-eye. The chemosensor exhibited selective absorbance enhancement to Ag(I) ions in water samples over other metal ions at 438 nm, with a linear range of 0.4–500 μM (r² = 0.999) and a limit of detection 0.07 μM of Ag(I) ions with UV–vis spectrophotometer detection. The relative standard deviation (RSD) for 100 μM Ag(I) ions was 2.05% (n = 7). The proposed method was applied for the determination Ag(I) ions in water and waste water samples.     

Advantages and disadvantages of various kinds of adsorbents used in industrial extraction of [Au(CN)<Subscript>2</Subscript>]<Superscript>–</Superscript> anions from cyanide solutions and pulps

Comparative study of an industrially used activated carbon of WSC-207C-GR brand, strongly basic anion exchanger MINIX, and weakly basic anion exchanger Purogold S992 in recovery of [Au(CN)₂]^– ions from cyanide aqueous solutions and slurries was carried out. It was found that the strongly basic anion exchanger MINIX has the highest adsorption rate of the cyanide complex of gold(I), whereas the activated carbon and the weakly basic ion exchanger possess a substantially higher selectivity toward the complex of gold(I). Use of each of the three sorbents makes it possible to solve the problem of the cyanide leaching of gold from ores containing natural substances that exhibit adsorbent properties with respect to the dicyanoaurate(I) ion. The influence exerted by the amount of kerosene additive and volume fraction of a sorbent on the efficiency of gold recovery by the sorbent in cyanidation of ores in the “carbon-in-pulp” and “resin-in-pulp” modes.     

Preconcentration of trace nickel lons from aqueous solutions by using a new and low cost chelating polystyrene adsorbent

A simple and reliable method has been developed using chelating polymeric adsorbent (PSAHSB) to preconcentration of trace amount of Ni(II) ions from aqueous solutions under static loading conditions, and their determination by Ultraviolet and visible (UV–Vis) absorption spectroscopy. The influences of some analytical adsorption parameters, such as pH, temperature and contact time, the ionization constants of chelating groups in the adsorbent and desorption process were investigated. Maximum adsorption ≥98% was achieved at pH 3–7 after 20 min of contact time and the relative standard-deviation values were ≤5%. Adsorbed metal ions have been desorbed with 10 mL of 2 M HCl acid with the detection limit of 0.0157 μg m⁻¹. The Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm equations were used to describe adsorption behavior of the system at different temperatures. Kinetic and thermodynamic behavior of the adsorbent for Ni(II) ion preconcentration was also studied. The possible adsorption mechanism of Ni (II) ions onto modified adsorbent is also discussed. This method was applied efficiently to remove Ni (II) ions from environmental water samples.     

Radiochemical separation of 109Cd from a silver target

A radiochemical separation method was developed for the separation of ¹⁰⁹Cd from a ^nat.Ag target (6.6 g, pressed into a 19 mm disc). The method comprised of two stages. In the first stage, after dissolution of the target in nitric acid, silver was separated from Cd by precipitation into the metallic form using 20 g of Cu turnings for the reduction of Ag⁺ ions. In the second stage, ¹⁰⁹Cd in the filtrate, that contained trace amount of silver and substantial quantity of Cu(I), was purified by use of a Bio-Rad AG1-X10 anion-exchange resin. The ion-exchange chromatography employed a column with (1.6 cm i.d. and 4 cm length) with a flow rate of 2 ml/min throughout the separation. ¹⁰⁹Cd was quantitatively recovered from the first stage and the recovery yield from the ion-exchange chromatography was greater than 96%. 2M HCl containing H₂O₂ was used for the adsorption of ¹⁰⁹Cd and elution of Cu. ¹⁰⁹Cd was eluted by 50 ml 1M HNO₃. The concentrations of stable isotopes of Ag and Cu in the final solution (5 ml 0.05M HCl) were measured by an ICP-OES method and found to be <1 ppm.     

Quinolinephosphomolybdate as ion exchanger: synthesis,characterization, and application in separation of <Superscript>90</Superscript>Y from <Superscript>90</Superscript>Sr

An inorganic ion exchanger, quinolinephosphomolybdate has been synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, infrared (IR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy. This compound is highly stable toward thermal, chemical and radiation dose. This has been employed in the separation of carrier-free ⁹⁰Y from its parent ⁹⁰Sr from an equilibrium mixture. The absorbed daughter was recovered by using 0.0284 mol L⁻¹ ascorbic acid solutions at pH 5.0 as eluting agent.     

N,N-bis-(2-benzimidazolylmethyl)L-methionine: An efficient Ag(I) extractant

A new ligand N,N-bis-(2-benzimidazolylmethyl)L-methionine has been synthesized and well characterized by different analytical techniques. The ligand has a very strong affinity for silver(I) and is used for the selective extraction of silver ions from aqueous solution into 1-butanol. The effect of concentration of Ag(I), pH, diverse ions, and temperature on the extraction is reported. The developed method has success-fully been applied to the determination of silver in different samples. Radiotracer technique, using ^110mAg(I) as a tracer, has been used for monitoring the concentration of silver ion.     

Synthesis and characterization of silica gel microspheres encapsulated by salicyclic acid functionalized polystyrene and its adsorption of transition metal ions from aqueous solutions

The present study was undertaken to develop a novel adsorbent for heavy metal ions, and this paper presents the synthesis and characterization of a composite material-silica gel microspheres encapsulated by salicyclic acid functionalized polystyrene (SG-PS-azo-SA) with a core-shell structure. SG-PS-azo-SA was used to investigate the adsorption of Mn(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Fe(III), Hg(II), Zn(II), Cd(II), Cr(VI), Pd(II), Cu(II), Ag(I), and Au(III) from aqueous solutions. The results revealed that SG-PS-azo-SA has better adsorption capacity for Cu(II), Ag(I) and Au(III). Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models were applied to analyze the experimental data, the best interpretation for the experimental data was given by the Langmuir isotherm equation with the maximum adsorption capacity for Cu(II), Ag(I), and Au(III) at 1.288 mmol g⁻¹, 1.850 mmol g⁻¹ and 1.613 mmol g^t-1, respectively. Thus, silica gel encapsulated by salicyclic acid functionalized polystyrene (SG-PS-azo-SA) is favorable and useful for the removal of Cu(II), Ag(I) and Au(III) metal ions.     

New Tripodal Ligands Containing Aza-Thioethers as Selective Extractants for Silver(I)

A new series of tripodal receptors bearing imine and thioether units, have been synthesized in high yields by simple condensation method. The binding properties of these ligands towards alkali, alkaline earth and transition metal ions have been established by extraction and transport experiments. These podands have highest extraction and transport rate for Ag(I). The complexation of Ag(I) with the receptors has been established using ¹H-and ¹³C-NMR spectroscopy.This revised version was published online in July 2005 with a corrected issue number.     

Microemulsion synthesis of hydroxyapatite nanomaterials and their adsorption behaviors for Cr<Superscript>3+</Superscript> ions

Hydroxyapatite (HAP) nanoparticles with different morphologies, such as nanorods, nanospheres, and their mixtures were successfully synthesized by microemulsion method with soluble additive. Their adsorption capacity for Cr³⁺ ion was investigated. Most of the Cr³⁺ were absorbed by HAP within 60 min. The adsorption capacity of the HAP nanospheres was the best, and the maximum Cr³⁺ removal ratio was 96.4%, revealing that the metal ions adsorption by HAP is dependent on the morphology of its particles.