The separation–preconcentration and determination of ultra-trace gold in water and solid samples by dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction using 4-ethyl-1(2-(4-(4-nitrophenyl)piperazin-1-yl)acetyl)thiosemicarbazide) as chelating agent and flame atomic absorption spectrometry

A selective separation and preconcentration method for the determination of gold ions in water and ore samples has been developed using dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction, followed by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. 4-Ethyl-1(2-(4-(4-nitrophenyl)piperazin-1-yl)acetyl)thiosemicarbazide) (NPPTSC) has been used for the first time as new chelating reagent. A mixture of ethanol (dispersive solvent) and carbon tetrachloride (extraction solvent) was used. Some parameters affecting the extraction procedure including the type and volume of the extracting and dispersive solvents, HNO₃ concentration, the chelating agent amount, volume of sample, and foreign ions have optimized. Also, the complex formation between gold ions and the ligand has been investigated in a methanol–water solution (1:1) using UV–visible spectrometry. The spectrophotometric titration data showed that of Au–NPPTSC complex composition was found to be 3:2. After optimizing the instrumental and experimental parameters, we achieved a detection limit of 1.5 µg L^?1, a preconcentration factor of 50, and a linear dynamic range of 10.0–400.0 µg L^?1. The relative standard deviation obtained 2.1% at 50 µg L^?1 for gold ions (n = 10). The proposed method was successfully performed for the determination of gold in certified reference material, environmental water, and ore samples.     

Determination of Gold(III) by Simplified Room-Temperature Ionic Liquid Extraction with Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry

A new simplified extraction of gold(III) using a room-temperature ionic liquid prior to determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry has been developed. The extraction method uses 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate without a chelating agent. The parameters of the extraction system were investigated in detail. Under the optimized conditions, a linear range of 0.19 to 38.20 µg · mL^?1, a limit of detection of 0.072 µg · mL^?1, an enrichment factor of 10.0, and an extraction capacity of 6.6 mg · g^?1 were obtained. The extraction mechanism and the selectivity of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate for gold(III) were also investigated. The method was applied for the determination of gold(III) in water samples with satisfactory results.     

Speciation and determination of chromium ions by dispersive micro solid phase extraction using magnetic graphene oxide followed by flame atomic absorption spectrometry

A selective, simple and fast dispersive micro solid phase extraction method using magnetic graphene oxide (GO) as an efficient sorbent has been developed for the extraction, separation and speciation analysis of chromium ions. The method is based on different adsorption behaviour of Cr(VI) and Cr(III) species onto magnetic GO in aqueous solutions which allowed the selective separation and extraction of Cr(VI) in the pH range of 2.0–3.0. The retained Cr(VI) ions by the sorbent were eluted using 0.5 mL of 0.5 mol L^?1 nitric acid solution in methanol and determined by ?ame atomic absorption spectrometry. Total chromium content was determined after the oxidation of Cr(III) to Cr(VI) by potassium permanganate. All effective parameters on the performance of the extraction process were thoroughly investigated and optimised. Under the optimised conditions, the method exhibited a linear dynamic range of 0.5–50.0 µg L^?1 with a detection limit of 0.1 µg L^?1 and pre-concentration factor of 200. The relative standard deviations of 3.8% and 4.6% (n = 8) were obtained at 25.0 µg L^?1 level of Cr(VI) for intra- and inter-day analysis, respectively. The method was successfully applied to the speciation and determination of Cr(VI) and Cr(III) in environmental water samples.     

Selective extraction and preconcentration of ultra-trace amounts of arsenic(V) ions using carbon nanotubes as a novel sorbent

In the present study, multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) as solid phase extraction sorbent were developed for preconcentration of arsenic(V) species prior to graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) determination. Arsenic(V) was selectively sorbed on the packed column with MWCNTs within a pH 9.5 in the presence of 2-(5-bromo-2-pyridylazo)-5-diethyl amino phenol (5-Br-PADAP). The adsorbed species was then desorbed with 1 mL of 2.0 M HNO₃. Experimental parameters including pH, sample volume and flow rate, type, volume and concentration of eluent that influence the recovery of the arsenic(V) species were optimised. Under the optimised conditions, the calibration curve was linear in the range of 0.2–10.0 µg L^?1 with detection limit of 0.016 µg L^?1. The relative standard deviations (RSD) for seven replicate determinations at 1.0 µg L^?1 level of arsenic was 6.69%. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of arsenic in water samples and certified reference material (NIST RSM 1643e).     

Magnetic solid-phase extraction to preconcentrate trace amounts of gold (III) using nickel ferrite magnetic nanoparticles

In this research, nickel ferrite (NiFe₂O₄) magnetic nanoparticles were synthesised by a simple method and applied as sorbent for magnetic solid-phase extraction of trace amounts of Au(III) from water samples. Detection in this technique was performed by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The effects of sample pH, amount of sorbent, extraction time, desorption solvent and its volume on the extraction process were optimised. The effects of interfering ions on the recovery of the analyte were also evaluated in model solutions. The best results were obtained at pH 6.5 with 5 mL of eluent solution (0.1 mol L^?1 sodium thiosulphate) and an extraction time of 30 min. Under optimal conditions, the sorption capacity was 34.6 mg g^?1. Also, enhancement factor (for 100 mL of sample solution) was found to be 19.3. The calibration graph was linear in the range of 4.4–800.0 µg L^?1 gold concentration and the limit of detection was 1.32 µg L^?1. The relative standard deviation of the method (for n = 8) was 1.57%. The method was successfully applied to the extraction of Au(III) from water samples.     

Spectrophotometric Determination of Gold in Water and Ore with 2‐Carboxyl‐1‐Naphthalthiorhodanine

Abstract

This paper reports on the synthesis of a new chromogenic reagent, 2‐carboxyl‐1‐naphthalthiorhodanine (CNTR). A high sensitive, selective, and rapid method for the determination of gold based on the rapid reaction of gold with CNTR and the solid phase extraction of the colored chelate with a reversed phase polymer‐based C₁₈ cartridge was developed. In the presence of 0.05–0.5 mol L^?1 of phosphoric acid solution and emulsifier‐OP medium, CNTR reacts with gold to form a red chelate of a molar ratio 1∶3 (gold to CNTR). This chelate was enriched by the solid phase extraction with a polymer‐based C₁₈ cartridge and the retained chelate was eluted from the cartridge with dimethyl formamide (DMF). The enrichment factor of 100 was achieved. In the DMF medium, the molar absorptivity of the chelate is 1.35×10⁵ L · mol^?1 · cm^?1 at 540 nm. Beer's law is obeyed in the range of 0.01～2 µg mL^?1 in the measured solution. The relative standard deviation for 11 replicates sample of 0.5 µg L^?1 level is 2.05%. The detection limit, based on three times the standard deviation is 0.02 µg L^?1 in the original sample. This method was applied to the determination of gold in water and ore with good results.     

Ionic liquid-based dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction for the separation and preconcentration of lead in water samples prior to FAAS determination without chelating agent

In the present study, an environment-friendly sample preparation method termed ionic liquid-based dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction combined with flame atomic absorption spectrometry has been developed for the determination of Pb(II) ion in water samples prior to flame atomic absorption spectrometry determination. In this method, ionic liquid was used as an extraction solvent instead of the organic solvent used in the conventional dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (DLLME) assay, and there is no need for a chelating agent. Several variables that may affect extraction efficiencies, including pH, the volume of ionic liquid, the type and volume of disperser solvent, salt addition, and the time for centrifugation and extraction were studied and optimised. Under the optimised conditions, the calibration curve exhibited linearity over the range of 20.0–1000.0 μg L^?1. The enrichment factor and the limit of detection based on 3S_b/m were 35.0 and 5.9 μg L^?1, respectively. Seven replicate determination of a solution containing of 100.0 μg L^?1 Pb(II) ions gave a relative standard deviation of ±2.1%. Finally, the feasibility of the proposed method for Pb(II) determination was assessed by the analysis of certi?ed reference material and various water samples and the satisfactory results were obtained.     

Optimized Ultrasound-Assisted Emulsification-Microextraction Followed by ICP-OES for Simultaneous Determination of Lanthanum and Cerium in Urine and Water Samples

In this study, optimized ultrasound-assisted emulsification–microextraction (USAEME) combined with inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) was applied to simultaneous determination of trace levels of lanthanum (La) and cerium (Ce) in water and biological samples. 5,6,14,15-dibenzo-1,4-dioxa-8,12-diazacyclopentadecane (a dioxa-diazamacrocycle) was used as chelating agent. Tetrachloroethylene was selected as extraction solvent. The effective parameters of USAEME including pH, salt effect, ultrasonic time, temperature, volume of extraction solvent, and concentration of the chelating agent were studied by a fractional factorial design to identify the significant parameters and their interactions. The results showed that pH and concentration of chelating agent were significant. In the next step, to optimize important parameters, a central composite design was performed. Under the optimal conditions (5.5 for pH and 180 mg L^?1 for concentration of chelating agent) the calibration graphs were linear in the range of 0.1–1000 for La and 1–1000 µ g L^?1 for Ce. The determination coefficients (R²) were 0.999 and 0.998 for La and Ce, respectively. The limits of detection were 0.012 for La and 0.61 µ g L^?1 for Ce. The relative standard deviations (RSD %, n = 7) at 200 µ g L^?1 were 3.5% for La and 3.1% for Ce. The method was successfully applied to the analysis of La and Ce in real water samples with the recoveries in the range of 93–99%     

Dispersive Liquid–Liquid Microextraction of Silver Prior to Determination by Microsample Introduction-Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry

Abstract

A new simple and sensitive method has been proposed for rapid determination of trace levels of silver in environmental water samples, using dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (DLLME) prior to its microsample introduction-flame atomic absorption spectrometry. Under the optimum conditions, the linear range was 0.1–7 µg L^?1 and limit of detection was 0.018 µg L^?1. The relative standard deviation for 0.50 and 5.00 µg L^?1 of silver in water sample was 4.0 and 1.7%, respectively. The relative recoveries of silver from tap, well, river, and seawater samples at spiking levels of 1.00 and 5.00 µg L^?1 were in the range of 86.4–98.6%.     

Adsorptive Stripping Voltammetric Determination of Antimony by Using Alizarin Red S

Abstract

A sensitive and selective voltammetric method for determination of antimony(III) using Alizarin Red S (ARS) as complexing agent is described. The method is based on the monitoring the oxidation peak of antimony(III)-ARS complex at ?520 mV in ammonium-ammonia buffer (pH = 7.5). The peak current was measured by scanning the potential from ?700 mV versus Ag/AgClto more positive potentials without accumulation in the presence of 1 × 10^?6 mol L^?1 of ARS. The limit of detection (3 s) and limit of quantification (10 s) of the method were calculated from calibration curve as 1.45 µg L^? and 4.8 µg L^? respectively. The calibration plot for antimony(III) was linear in the range of 4.8–30 µg L^?. The interference of various ions was examined. Serious interference from Al(III), Fe(III), Cu(II), Pb(II), and Zn(II) was eliminated by addition of EDTA to the solution. The method was applied to drinking water samples. The recoveries were in the range 94% – 105%. The results obtained from the developed method were compared with those from the differential-pulse anodic-stripping method and no statistically significant difference was found.     

Stripping voltammetric determination of mercury(II) and lead(II) using screen-printed electrodes modified with gold films, and metal ion preconcentration with thiol-modified magnetic particles

A novel approach to the electrochemical determination of heavy metals in tap water using anodic stripping voltammetry was developed using screen-printed electrodes modified with gold films. After optimisation of the experimental conditions, the screen-printed electrodes modified with gold films displayed excellent linear behaviour in the examined concentration range from 2 to 16 µg L^-1 mercury and lead in 50 mM HCl with a detection limit of 1.5 µg L^-1 and 0.5 µg L^-1 for mercury and lead, respectively. In order to decrease the working range down to less than 1 µg L^-1, a preconcentration step based on the use of magnetic particles modified with thiols was introduced into the protocol. Applying optimum binding conditions, the assay using screen-printed electrodes modified with gold films displayed excellent linear behaviour in the concentration range 0.1 to 0.8 µg L^-1 in 50 mM HCl. The detection limit after a 120 s deposition time for mercury and lead were 0.08 µg L^-1 and 0.02 µg L^-1, respectively. The method has been applied to the determination of mercury and lead traces in tap water     

Development of a new analytical method for Pb preconcentration and its further determination in water and foodstuffs using relatively low-sensitivity flame atomic absorption spectrometry

The present study describes chelation of Pb(II) with ascorbic acid and formation of a charge-transfer sensitive ion-pair in the presence of Rhodamine 6G at pH 5.5, and then its extraction to the micellar phase of non-ionic surfactant, PONPE 7.5 by an ultrasound-assisted cloud point extraction method before analysis by FAAS. The various variables affecting ion-pair formation and extraction efficiency were studied and optimised. Under the optimised conditions, the good linear relationships in the ranges of 0.4–150 μg L^?1 and 0.8–120 μg L^?1 for solvent-based calibration and matrix-matched calibration curves, respectively, were achieved with a pre-concentration factor of 71.4 from pre-concentration of 50-mL sample. Moreover, the limits of detection with good sensitivity enhancements of 124 and 114.5 were 0.13 and 0.24 μg L^?1, respectively, while the intra-day and inter-day precision (as RSD%, for five replicate measurements of 5 and 100 μg L^?1 in the same day and three succeed days) were in range of 2.8–5.4% and 3.7–6.3%, respectively. The matrix effect on triplicate determination of 50 µg L^?1 Pb(II) was also investigated. The accuracy of the method was statistically verified by the analysis of two certified reference materials (CRMs) after digestion with acid mixtures (HNO₃-H₂O₂-HF and HNO₃-H₂O₂) and dilution at suitable ratios. It has been observed that there is statistically not a significant difference between the certified- and found-values. The accuracy was also controlled using the pre-treated sample solutions spiked at different concentration levels, and the good spiked recoveries were obtained in range of 90–102.8%. The method was successfully applied to the determination of trace amounts of lead in water and food matrices with satisfactory results.     

Determination of Antimony(III) and Total Antimony in Aqueous Samples by Electrothermal Atomic Absorption Spectrometry After Dispersive Liquid–Liquid Microextraction (DLLME)

Dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (DLLME) technique combined with electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ET-AAS) was proposed for determination of antimony(III) and total antimony at very low concentrations in water samples. The N-benzoyl-N-phenylhydroxylamine (BPHA) was used as a chelating agent, and chloroform and ethanol were used as extraction and disperser solvents, respectively. The effect of various experimental parameters on the extraction and determination was investigated. The detection limits (3σ) were 0.005 μg L^?1 for Sb(III) and 0.008 μg L^?1 for total Sb. The developed method was applied successfully to the determination of Sb(III) and total Sb in natural water samples.     

Solid-phase extraction of Pb2+ ion from environmental samples onto L-AC-Ag-NP by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS)

The development of a solid-phase extraction (SPE) procedure for the pre-concentration of trace amounts of Pb²⁺ ion on 2-furan-2-yl-1-furan-2-ylmethyl-1H-benzoimidazole loaded on activated carbon modified with silver nanoparticles (L-AC-Ag-NP) was presented. The metal ion retained on the sorbent was quantitatively determined via complexation with the ligand. The complexed metal ion was efficiently eluted using 10 mL of 4 mol L^?1 sulphuric acid in 10 w/v% acetone. The influences of the analytical parameters, including pH, amounts of the ligand and the solid phase, eluent conditions and sample volume, on the recoveries of the metal ion were optimised. Using the optimised parameters, the linear response of the SPE method for Pb²⁺ ion were in the ranges of 0.2–160 µg L^?1, and the detection limit for Pb²⁺ ion was 0.034 µg L^?1. The proposed method exhibits a pre-concentration factor (PF) of 80 and an enhancement factor of 30 for Pb²⁺ ion. The presented results demonstrate the successful application of the proposed method for the determination of Pb²⁺ ion in some real samples with high recoveries (>93%) and reasonable relative standard deviation (RSD < 2%).     

Trace Determination of Manganese in Urine by Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrometry and Inductively Coupled Plasma–Mass Spectrometry

This paper describes a simple and sensitive method for the determination of manganese in human urine by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy (GFAAS), which includes sample preparation by microwave digestion. Matrix modifier combinations, the digestion power, pyrolysis, and atomization temperatures were optimized. A mixture of 5.0 µg Pd(NO₃)₂ and 3.2 µg Mg(NO₃)₂ modifier presented the best performance. The optimal temperatures for pyrolysis and atomization were 1500°C and 1950°C, respectively. The GFAAS method was compared to inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (ICP–MS) for the determination of manganese in urine. Analytical figures of merit for GFAAS and ICP–MS were: accuracy (3.46%, 2.19%), precision (3.61%, 5.84%), LOD (0.109 µg · L^?1, 0.015 µg · L^?1), LOQ (0.327 µg · L^?1, 0.045 µg · L^?1), and recovery (80–100%, 74–89%). Both methods were employed for the determination of Mn in urine and the results were compared statistically.     

Flow injection determination of cyromazine in natural water samples using diperiodatoargentate(III)–H2SO4–chemiluminescence system

A simple and sensitive chemiluminescence (CL) procedure is proposed for the determination of cyromazine (CYR) using flow injection technique. CYR has strong enhancing effect on the CL reaction of diperiodatoargentate-(III) complex (DPA) in H₂SO₄ medium. The CL intensity with solid phase extraction (SPE) technique and with and without using online ion exchange resin column (IERC; OH-form) was proportional to the concentration of CYR over the range 0.1–200, 10–1000 and 2–2500 µg L^–1 (R² = 0.9974, 0.9980 and 0.9990, n = 7 each), respectively. Under the conditions, the limits of detection (S/N = 3) 0.029, 2.5 and 0.5 µg L^–1, relative standard deviations (n = 3) 1.9–3.6%, 1.4–2.7% and 1.0–3.0% and sample throughputs were 120, 80 and 120 h^–1. The effect of reagents concentration, flow rate, sample loop volume, photomultiplier voltage and IERC length was optimised. The mean results for natural water samples analysed by the proposed method were not significantly different at 95% confidence limit with the previously reported HPLC method. Interference from chloride ions could be eliminated by using SPE procedure or incorporating an in-line IERC. The CL mechanism of DPA–H₂SO₄–CYR system was also discussed briefly.     

An Ionic Liquid Loaded β-Cyclodextrin-Cross-Linked Polymer as the Solid Phase Extraction Material Coupled with High-Performance Liquid Chromatography for the Determination of Rhodamine B in Food

A novel method for separation and determination of rhodamine B in food samples is described. The work is based on the utilization of an ionic liquid loaded β-cyclodextrin cross-linked polymer coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography for the determination of rhodamine B. The inclusion interaction of the ionic liquid-β-cyclodextrin cross-linked polymer with rhodamine B was studied by FTIR. Under optimum conditions, the preconcentration factor achieved for this method was approximately 20. The linear range, detection limit, and relative standard deviation were 0.80 to 130.0 µg L^?1, 0.09 µg L^?1, and 0.66% (n = 3, concentration = 10.0 µg L^?1), respectively. The technique was successfully applied for determination of rhodamine B in food samples.     

Preconcentration and determination of low amounts of cobalt in black tea,paprika and marjoram using dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction and flame atomic absorption spectrometry

A dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (DLLME) method for separation/preconcentration of ultra trace amounts of Co(II) and its determination with FAAS was developed. The DLLME behavior of Co(II) using Aliquat 336-chloride as ion pairing agent was systematically investigated. The factors influencing the ion pair formation and extraction by DLLME method were optimized. Under the optimized conditions for 150 µL of extraction solvent (carbon tetrachloride), 1.5 mL disperser solvent (acetonitrile) and 5 mL of sample, the enrichment factor was 30. The detection limit was 5.6 µg L^?1 and the RSD for replicate measurements of 1 mg L^?1 was 1.32 %. The calibration graph using the preconcentration system for cobalt was linear from 40 to 400 µg L^?1 with a correlation coefficient of 0.999. The proposed method was successfully applied for determination of cobalt in black tea, paprika and marjoram real samples.     

Synthesis and characterisation of novel chelating resin for selective preconcentration and trace determination of Pb(II) ions in aqueous samples by innovative microsample injection system coupled flame atomic absorption spectrometry

Expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam waste (white pollutant) was utilised for the synthesis of novel chelating resin i.e. EPS-N = N-α-Benzoin oxime (EPS-N = N-Box). The synthesised resin was characterised by FT-IR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and thermogravimetric analysis. A selective method for the preconcentration of Pb(II) ions on EPS-N = N-Box resin packed in mini-column was developed. The sorbed Pb(II) ions were eluted with 5.0 mL of 2.0 mol L^?1 HCl and determined by microsample injection system coupled flame atomic absorption spectrometry (MIS-FAAS). The average recovery of Pb(II) ions was achieved 95.5% at optimum parameters such as pH 7, resin amount 400 mg, flow rates 1.0 mL min^?1 (of eluent) and3.0 mL min^?1 (of sample solution). The total saturation capacity of the resin, limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) of Pb(II) ions were found to be 30 mg g^?1, 0.033 μg L^?1 and 0.107 μg L^?1, respectively with preconcentration factor of 300. The accuracy, selectivity and validation of the method was checked by analysis of sea water (BCR-403), wastewater (BCR-715) and Tibet soil (NCS DC-78302) as certified reference materials (CRMs). The proposed method was applied successfully for the trace determination of Pb(II) ions in aqueous samples.     

Flow Injection Chemiluminescence Determination of Retinol and α-Tocopherol in Blood Serum and Pharmaceuticals

A simple and sensitive flow-injection method is reported for the determination of retinol and α-tocopherol in human blood serum and pharmaceuticals. The method is based on the reduction of vanadium(V) by retinol and α-tocopherol and subsequent reaction of reduced vanadium with luminol to generate chemiluminescence signal. The optimized conditions allow a linear calibration range of 30–2850 µg L^?1 and 5–4300 µg L^?1 for retinol and α-tocopherol, with relative standard deviations of 1.2–4.6% and 1.5–5.6%, respectively. The detection limits for retinol and α-tocopherol, defined as three times the standard deviation of measured blanks were 23 µg L^?1 and 2.15 µg L^?1, respectively. The proposed method allowed up to 20 determinations h^?1. The tolerance amount of foreign ions/compounds on the determination of retinol and α-tocopherol was also examined. The method was applied to the determination of retinol and α-tocopherol in human blood serum and pharmaceutical samples using hexane extraction with recoveries in the range of 92 ± 2 to 96 ± 1%, and the results obtained were compared with HPLC reference method.