Preconcentration and atomic spectrometric determination of rare earth elements (REEs) in natural water samples by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry

The usage of a variety of sorbents has been shown as promising matrix removal/preconcentration strategies for the determination of rare earth elements (REEs) in various natural water samples by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). The sorption efficiency of various zeolites (clinoptilolite, mordenite, zeolite Y, zeolite Beta), ion-exchangers (Amberlite CG-120, Amberlite IR-120, Rexyn 101, Dowex 50W X18) and chelating resins (Muromac, Chelex 100, Amberlite IRC-718) towards REEs was investigated in terms of solution pH, shaking time and sorbent amount. The results have shown that most of the materials can take up REEs at a wide pH range. The experiments were continued with clinoptilolite, zeolite Y and Chelex 100 and it was demonstrated that all three materials displayed very fast kinetics for REE sorption (higher than 96% in 1 min). Desorption from the sorbents was realized with 2.0 M HNO₃ for clinoptilolite and 0.1 M HNO₃ for zeolite Y and Chelex 100. Only the lower concentration range (0.01-2.0 mg l⁻¹) of matrix-matched standards were used in quantitation although the calibration graphs were linear at least up to 10.0 mg l⁻¹ for all REEs studied. The limit of detection (3 s) without preconcentration was 0.1, 1.0, and 0.2 μg l⁻¹ for Eu, La, and Yb, respectively. The validity of the method with the selected sorbents was checked through spike recovery experiments.     

Separating Ag, B, Cd, Dy, Eu, and Sm in a Gd matrix using 2-ethylhexyl phosphonic acid mono-2-ethylhexyl ester extraction chromatography for ICP-AES analysis

The separation procedure for Ag, B, Cd, Dy, Eu and Sm as impurities in Gd matrix using ICP-AES technique with an extraction chromatographic column has been developed. The spectral interference of the Gd matrix on the elements was eliminated using a chromatography technique with 2-ethylhexyl phosphonic acid mono-2-ethylhexyl ester (PC-88A) as the mobile phase and XAD-16 resin as the stationary phase. Ag⁺, B₄O₇²⁻, and Cd²⁺ were eluted with 0.1 M HNO₃, while rare earth ions were not. The best eluent for separating Eu and Sm in the Gd matrix was 0.3 M HNO₃. The limit of quantitation for these elements was 0.6-3.0 ng mL⁻¹. The recovery of Ag, B, and Cd was 90-104% using 0.1 M HNO₃ as the eluent, while that of Eu, Gd, and Sm ranged from 100 to 102% with 0.3 M HNO₃. Dy was recovered quantitatively with 4 M HNO₃. The relative standard deviation of the methods for a set of three replicates was between 1.0 and 15.4% for the synthetic and standard Gd solutions. The proposed separation procedure was used to measure Ag, B, Cd, Dy, Eu, and Sm in a standard Gd solution.     

Determination of radioactive strontium in seawater

This paper describes the procedures of isolating strontium and yttrium from seawater that enable the determination of ^89,90Sr. In one procedure, strontium is directly isolated from seawater on the column filled with Sr resin by binding of strontium to the resin from 3 M HNO₃ in a seawater, and successive elution with HNO₃. In others, strontium is precipitated from seawater with (NH₄)₂CO₃, followed by isolation on a Sr column or an anion exchange column. It is shown that strontium precipitation is optimal with concentration of 0.3 M (NH₄)₂CO₃ at pH = 11. In these conditions, 100% Y, 78% Sr, 80% Ca and 50% Mg are precipitated. Strontium is bound on to Sr column from 5 to 8 M HNO₃, separated from other elements by elution with 3 M HNO₃ and 0.05 M HNO₃. Strontium and yttrium are bound on to anion exchange column from alcoholic solutions of nitric acid. The optimum mixture of alcohols for sample binding is a mixture of ethanol and methanol with the volume ratio 1:3. Strontium and yttrium are separated from Mg, Ca, K, and other elements by elution with 0.25 M HNO₃ in the mixture of ethanol and methanol. After the separation, yttrium and strontium are eluted from the column with water or methanol.In the procedure of direct isolation from 1 l of the sample, the average recovery of 50% was obtained. In the remaining two procedures, the strontium recovery was about 60% for the Sr column and 65% for anion exchange column. Recovery of yttrium is about 70% for the anion exchange column. It turned out that the procedure with the Sr resin (direct isolation and isolation after precipitation) is simpler and faster in the phase of the isolation on the column in comparison with the procedure with the anion exchanger. The procedure with the anion exchanger, however, enables the simultaneous isolation of yttrium and strontium and rapid determination of ^89,90Sr. These procedures were tested by determination of ^89,90Sr on liquid scintillation counter and Cherenkov counting in 5 M HNO₃. Obtained results showed that activity of 50 mBq l⁻¹ of ^89,90Sr and higher can be simultaneously determined.     

Speciation of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) in waters using immobilized moss and determination by ICP-MS and FAAS

The possibility of using moss (Funaria hygrometrica), immobilized in a polysilicate matrix as substrate for speciation of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) in various water samples has been investigated. Experiments were performed to optimize conditions such as pH, amount of sorbent and flow rate, to achieve the quantitative separation of Cr(III) and Cr(VI). During all the steps of the separation process, Cr(III) was selectively sorbed on the column of immobilized moss in the pH range of 4-8 while, Cr(VI) was found to remain in solution. The retained Cr(III) was subsequently eluted with 10 ml of 2 mol l⁻¹ HNO₃. A pre-concentration factor of about 20 was achieved for Cr(III) when, 200 ml of water was passed. The immobilized moss was packed in a home made mini-column and incorporated in flow injection system for obtaining calibration plots for both Cr(III) and Cr(VI) at low ppb levels that were compared with the plots obtained without column. After separation, the chromium (Cr) species were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). The sorption capacity of the immobilized moss was found to be ∼11.5 mg g⁻¹ for Cr(III). The effect of various interfering ions has also been studied. The proposed method was applied successfully for the determination of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) in spiked and real wastewater samples and recoveries were found to be >95%.     

Speciation of chromium in Australian fly ash

The concentrations of chromium (III) and (VI) in fly ash from nine Australian coal fired power stations were determined. Cr(VI) was completely leached by extraction with 0.01 M NaOH solution and the concentration was determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). This was confirmed by determining Cr(III) and Cr(VI) in the extracts of fly ash that had been spiked with chromium salts. These analytical measurements were done using a combination of ion-exchange chromatography and ICP-AES. The elutant was 0.05 M HNO₃ containing 0.5%-CH₃OH. When the column was operated at a flow rate of 1.2 ml min⁻¹ and samples were injected by use of a sample loop with a volume of 100 μl, Cr(III) and Cr(VI) in sample solution was exclusively separated within approximately 10 min. The detection limits (3σ) were 5 ng for Cr(III) (0.050 mg l⁻¹) and 9 ng for Cr(VI) (0.090 mg l⁻¹), respectively. A relative standard deviation of 1.9% (n = 6) was obtained for the determination by IC-ICP-AES of 0.25 mg l⁻¹ Cr(III) and Cr(VI).     

Thermal modified Kaolinite as useful material for separation and preconcentration of trace amounts of manganese ions

This work assesses for the first time the potential of natural Kaolinite as adsorptive material for preconcentration of metal traces. Manganese is quantitatively retained by 2-(5-bromo-2-pyridylazo)-5-diethylaminophenol (5-Br-PADAP) on thermal modified Kaolinite by column method in pH range of 8.5-10.0 at flow rate of 2 ml min⁻¹. Manganese was removed from column with 5.0 ml of H₂SO₄ 4 mol l⁻¹ and determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometric at 279.5 nm. In this case, 0.l μg of manganese can be concentrated from 800 ml of aqueous sample (where concentration is as low as 0.125 μg l⁻¹). Detection limit is 4.3 μg l⁻¹ (3 δ_bl m⁻¹) and analytical curve is linear in the 0.02-10 mg l⁻¹ in final solution with correlation coefficient 0.9997 and relative standard deviation for eight replicate determination of 5 μg of manganese in final solution is 0.71%. The interference of a large number of anions and cations has been studied in detail to optimize the conditions and method was successfully applied for determination of manganese in complex materials.     

On-line enrichment system for manganese determination in water samples using FAAS

An on-line preconcentration procedure for the determination of manganese using flow-injection approach with flame atomic absorption spectrometry as a detection method is described. The proposed method is based on the complexation between Mn(II) and 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-carboxyphenyl)porphyrin (TCPP). Two approaches were investigated for enrichment of manganese; the formation of Mn-TCPP complex in a solution followed by its retention on a sorbent and the sorption of manganese ions onto the TCPP-modified resin. The best results was obtained for the first approach when 10⁻⁵ M reagent was on-line mixed with an aqueous sample solution and passed through the microcolumn packed with anion-exchange resin Amberlite IRA-904 for 5 min. The sorbed complexes were then eluted with 0.5 ml of 2 M HNO₃. A good precision (2.2-3.1% R.S.D. for 50 μg l⁻¹ manganese) and the enrichment factor of 30 were obtained with the detection limit of 12 μg l⁻¹ for 5 min loading time. The interference of anions and cations has been studied to optimize the conditions and the method was applied for determination of manganese in natural water samples. The results obtained by FI-FAAS and ETAAS (as a reference method) were not statistically different for a significance level of 0.05.     

Preconcentration of trace elements from water samples on a minicolumn of yeast (Yamadazyma spartinae) immobilized TiO2 nanoparticles for determination by ICP-AES

A trace element preconcentration procedure is described utilizing a minicolumn of yeast (Yamadazyma spartinae) immobilized TiO₂ nanoparticles for determination of Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni and Zn from water samples by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry. The elements were quantitatively retained on the column between pH 6 and 8. Elution was made with 5% (v/v) HNO₃ solution. Recoveries ranged from 98 ± 2 (Cr) to 100 ± 4 (Zn) for preconcentration of 50 mL multielement solution (50 μg L⁻¹). The column made up of 100 mg sorbent (yeast immobilized TiO₂ NP) offers a capacity to preconcentrate up to 500 mL of sample solution to achieve an enrichment factor of 250 with 2 mL of 5% (v/v) HNO₃ eluent. The detection limits obtained from preconcentration of 50 mL blank solutions (5%, v/v, HNO₃, n = 11) were 0.17, 0.45, 0.25, 0.15, 0.33 and 0.10 μg L⁻¹ for Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni and Zn, respectively. Relative standard deviation (RSD) for five replicate analyses was better than 5%. The retention of the elements was not affected from up to 500 μg L⁻¹ Na⁺ and K⁺ (as chlorides), 100 μg L⁻¹ Ca²⁺ (as nitrate) and 50 μg L⁻¹ Mg²⁺ (as sulfate). The method was validated by analysis of freshwater standard reference material (SRM 1643e) and applied to the determination of the elements from tap water and lake water samples.     

Semi-online preconcentration of Cd, Mn and Pb on activated carbon for GFASS

This paper presents a method whereby trace elements in NH₄Cl-NH₃ medium are adsorbed on activated carbon in a micro-flow-injection (FI) semi-online sorbent extraction preconcentration system and then determined by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS). The analytical performance of the proposed method for determining Cd, Mn and Pb was studied. A microcolumn packed with activated carbon was used as a preconcentration column (PCC). The metals to be determined were preconcentrated onto the column for 60 s and then rinsed with 0.02% (v/v) HNO₃ and eluted with 30 μl of 2 mol l⁻¹ HNO₃. Compared with the direct injection of 30 μl of aqueous sample solution, enrichment factor of 32, 26, and 21 and detection limits (3σ) of 0.4, 4.7, and 7.5 ng l⁻¹ for Cd, Mn and Pb, respectively, were obtained with 60 s sample loading at 3.0 ml min⁻¹ for sorbent extraction, 30 μl of eluate injection, and peak area measurement. The precisions (RSD, n=6) were 2.8% at the 0.05 μg l⁻¹ level for Cd, 3.0% at the 0.3 μg l⁻¹ level for Mn, and 3.1% at the 0.5 μg l⁻¹ level for Pb. The experimental results indicate that the procedure can eliminate the fundamental interferences caused by alkali and alkaline earth metals and the application of it to the determination of Cd, Mn and Pb in some water samples is successful.     

Amberlite XAD-4 functionalized with succinic acid for the solid phase extractive preconcentration and separation of uranium(VI)

Amberlite XAD-4 resin has been functionalized with succinic acid by coupling it with dibromosuccinic acid after acetylation. The resulting resin has been characterized by FT-IR, elemental analysis and TGA and has been used for preconcentrative separation of uranium(VI) from host of other inorganic species prior to its determination by spectrophotometry. The optimum pH value for quantitative sorption of uranium(VI) in both batch and column modes is 4.5-8.0 and desorption can be achieved by using 5.0 ml of 1.0 mol l⁻¹ HCl. The sorption capacity of functionalized resin is 12.3 mg g⁻¹. Calibration graphs were rectilinear over the uranium(VI) concentrations in the range 5-200 μg l⁻¹. Five replicate determinations of 50 μg of uranium(VI) present in 1000 ml of solution gave a mean absorbance of 0.10 with a relative standard deviation of 2.56%. The detection limit corresponding to three times the standard deviation of the blank was found to be 2 μg l⁻¹. Various cationic and anionic species at 200-fold amounts do not interfere during the preconcentration of 5.0 μg of uranium(VI) present in 1000 ml (batch) or 100 ml (column) of sample solution. Further, adsorption kinetic and isotherm studies were also carried out by a batch method to understand the nature of sorption of uranium(VI) with the succinic acid functionalized resin. The accuracy of the developed solid phase extractive preconcentration method in conjunction with Arsenazo III procedure was tested by analyzing marine sediment (MESS-3) and soil (IAEA soil-7) reference material. Further, the above procedure has been successfully employed for the analysis of soil and sediment samples.     

Fractionation analysis of manganese and zinc in beers by means of two sorbent column system and flame atomic absorption spectrometry

In the present article, a method of operational fractionation of Mn and Zn in beer using flame atomic absorption spectrometry was developed. The proposed fractionation scheme was based on use of a hydrophobic adsorbing resin Amberlite XAD7 (first column, 2 g resin bed) connected in a series with a strong cation exchanger Dowex 50Wx4 (second column, 1 g resin bed). After passing the samples of beers through the columns, distinct groupings of Mn and Zn species retained on the sorbents, i.e., hydrophobic fraction of polyphenols bound metal species and cationic metal species fraction, respectively, were determined in respective eluates obtained after complete recovery of Mn and Zn species with 10 ml of 2.0 mol l⁻¹ HNO₃ (first column) and 10 ml of 4.0 mol l⁻¹ HCl (second column). In addition, the effluents collected were analyzed prior to the evaluation of the third, residual fraction, presumably attributed to any hydrophilic anionic and inert metal species. The established fractionation patterns for Mn and Zn were discussed in reference to likely associations of metals with endogenous food bioligands and possible availability of the distinguished metal species classes. The quality of the results was proved by the recovery experiments.     

Preconcentration of inorganic antimony(III) in environmental samples by PSTH-Dowex microcolumn and determination by FI-ETAAS

A flow injection on-line sorption preconcentration system has been synchronously coupled to an electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS) system for the selective determination of trace amounts of Sb(III) in water, soil and plant. The determination was achieved by selective complexation and sorption of Sb(III) with [1,5-bis(2-pyridyl)-3-sulphophenyl methylene thiocarbonohydarzide (PSTH) immobilized on an anion-exchange resin (Dowex 1× 8-200)] at a wide range of pH, quantitative elution with 50 μl of 2 M HNO₃ and subsequent ETAAS detection. ETAAS determination of the analyte was performed in parallel with the preconcentration of the next sample. Using a preconcentration time of 60 s and a sample loading flow rate of 2.8 ml min⁻¹, an enhancement factor of 12 was obtained in comparison with direct injection of 50 μl aqueous solution, resulting in a sampling frequency of 31 samples h⁻¹. The detection limit (3 s) was 2 μg l⁻¹ and the precision was 3.1% (R.S.D.) for 11 replicate determinations at 10 μg l⁻¹. The accuracy of the proposed method was demonstrated by analyzing one certified sample and different spiked samples.     

A permeation liquid membrane system for determination of nickel in seawater

The use of a permeation liquid membrane system for the preconcentration and separation of nickel in natural and sea waters and subsequent determination by atomic absorption spectroscopy is presented. 2-Hydroxybenzaldehyde N-ethylthiosemi-carbazone (2-HBET) in toluene is used as the active component of the liquid membrane. A study strategy based on a simplex design has been followed. Several chemical and physical parameters were optimized. Maximum permeation coefficient was obtained at a feed solution pH of 9.4, 0.3 mol l⁻¹ of HNO₃ in the stripping solution and 1.66 mmol l⁻¹ of 2-HBTE in toluene as carrier. The precision of the method was 4.7% at 95% significance level and a detection limit of 0.012 μg l⁻¹ of nickel was achieved. The preconcentration procedure showed a linear response within the studied concentration range from 3 to 500 μg l⁻¹ of Ni in the feed solution. The method was validated with different spiked synthetic seawater and certified reference water samples: TMDA-62 and LGC 6016, without matrix interferences and showing good concordance with the certified values, being the relative errors −5.9% and −2.2%, respectively. Under optimal conditions, the average preconcentration yield for real seawater samples was 98 ± 5%, with a nickel preconcentration factor of 20.83 and metal concentrations ranging between 2.8 and 5.4 μg l⁻¹.     

Separation/preconcentration of trace heavy metals in urine, sediment and dialysis concentrates by coprecipitation with samarium hydroxide for atomic absorption spectrometry

Multi-element determination of trace elements in urine and dialysis solutions by atomic absorption spectrometry has been investigated. Coprecipitation with samarium hydroxide was used for preconcentration of trace elements and elimination of matrix elements. To 10 ml of each sample was added 500 μl of 2 mg ml⁻¹ samarium solutions; the pH was then adjusted to 12.2 in order to collect trace heavy metals on samarium hydroxide. The precipitate was separated by centrifugation and dissolved in 1 ml of 1 mol l⁻¹ HNO₃. Coprecipitation parameters and matrix effects are discussed. The precision, based on replicate analysis, is around 5% for the analytes, and recovery is quantitative, based on analysis of spiked samples and solutions including matrix components. The time required for the coprecipitation and determination was about 30 min.     

Synthesis of cross-linked chitosan possessing N-methyl-d-glucamine moiety (CCTS-NMDG) for adsorption/concentration of boron in water samples and its accurate measurement by ICP-MS and ICP-AES

A chitosan resin derivatized with N-methyl-d-glucamine (CCTS-NMDG) was synthesized by using a cross-linked chitosan (CCTS) as base material. The N-methyl-d-glucamine (NMDG) moiety was attached to the amino group of CCTS through the arm of chloromethyloxirane. The adsorption behavior of 59 elements on the synthesized resin was systematically examined by using the resin packed in a mini-column, passing water samples through it and measuring the adsorbed elements in eluates by ICP-MS. The CCTS-NMDG resin shows high ability in boron sorption with the capacity of 0.61 mmol ml⁻¹ (= 2.1 mmol g⁻¹). The sorption kinetics of this resin was faster than that of the commercially available resins. Other advantages of the synthesized resin are: (1) quantitative collection of boron at neutral pH regions; (2) complete removal of large amounts of matrices; (3) no loss of efficiency over prolonged usage; (4) effective collection of boron in wide range concentration using a mini column containing 1 ml resin; (5) complete elution of boron with 1 mol l⁻¹ nitric acid. The resin was applied to the collection/concentration of boron in water samples. Boron in tap water and river water was found to be in the range of 6-8 μg l⁻¹. The limit of detection (LOD) of boron after pretreatment with CCTS-NMDG resin and measurement by ICP-MS was 0.07 μg l⁻¹ and the limit of quantification (LOQ) was 0.14 μg l⁻¹ when the volume of each sample and eluent was 10 ml.     

Determination of traces of palladium in stream sediment and auto catalyst by FI-ICP-OES using on-line separation and preconcentration with QuadraSil TA

A flow injection analysis (FIA) method using on-line separation and preconcentration with a novel metal scavenger beads, QuadraSil™ TA, has been developed for the ICP-OES determination of traces of palladium. QuadraSil TA contains diethylenetriamine as a functional group on spherical silica beads and shows the highest selectivity for Pd(II) at pH 1 (0.1 mol l⁻¹ hydrochloric acid) solution. An aliquot of the sample solution prepared as 0.1 mol l⁻¹ in hydrochloric acid was passed through the QuadraSil TA column. After washing the column with the carrier solution, the Pd(II) retained on the column was eluted with 0.05 mol l⁻¹ thiourea solution and the eluate was directly introduced into an ICP-OES. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of traces of palladium in JSd-2 stream sediment certified reference material [0.019 ± 0.001 μg g⁻¹ (n = 3); provisional value: 0.0212 μg g⁻¹] and SRM 2556 used auto catalyst certified reference material [315 ± 4 μg g⁻¹ (n = 4); certified value: 326 μg g⁻¹]. The detection limit (3σ) of 0.28 ng ml⁻¹ was obtained for 5 ml of sample solution. The sample throughputs for 5 ml and 100 μl of the sample solutions were 10 and 15 h⁻¹, respectively.     

On-line organoselenium interference removal for inorganic selenium species by flow injection coprecipitation preconcentration coupled with hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry

The existence of dimethylselenium (DMSe) and dimethyldiselenium (DMDSe) in some environmental samples can cause serious interference on Se(IV) determination by hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry (HG-AFS) due to their contribution on HG-response. A flow injection separation and preconcentration system coupled to HG-AFS was therefore developed by on-line coprecipitation in a knotted reactor (KR) for eliminating interference subjected from organoselenium. The sample, spiked with lanthanum nitrate, was merged with an ammonium buffer solution (pH 8.8), which promoted coprecipitation of Se(IV) and quantitative collection by 150 cm PTFE KR. DMSe and DMDSe, however, were unretained and expelled from the KR. An air flow was introduced to remove the residual solution from the KR, then a 1.2 mol l⁻¹ HCl was pumped to dissolve the precipitates and merge with KBH₄ solution for HG-AFS detection. The interference of DMSe and DMDSe on the Se(IV) determination by conventional HG-AFS and its elimination by the developed separation and preconcentration system were evaluated. With optimal experimental conditions and with a sample consumption of 12.0 ml, an enhancement factor of 18 was obtained at a sample frequency of 24 h⁻¹. The limit of detection was 0.014 μg l⁻¹ and the precision (R.S.D.) for 11 replicate measurements of 1.0 μg l⁻¹ Se(IV) was 2.5%. The developed method was successfully applied to the determination of inorganic selenium species in a variety of natural water samples.     

Americium and plutonium separation by extraction chromatography for determination by accelerator mass spectrometry

A simple method was developed to separate Pu and Am using single column extraction chromatography employing N,N,N′,N′-tetra-n-octyldiglycolamide (DGA) resin. Isotope dilution measurements of Am and Pu were performed using accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) and alpha spectrometry. For maximum adsorption Pu was stabilized in the tetra valent oxidation state in 8 M HNO₃ with 0.05 M NaNO₂ before loading the sample onto the resin. Am(III) was adsorbed also onto the resin from concentrated HNO₃, and desorbed with 0.1 M HCl while keeping the Pu adsorbed. The on-column reduction of Pu(IV) to Pu(III) with 0.02 M TiCl₃ facilitated the complete desorption of Pu. Interferences (e.g. Ca²⁺, Fe³⁺) were washed off from the resin bed with excess HNO₃. Using NdF_3, micro-precipitates of the separated isotopes were prepared for analysis by both AMS and alpha spectrometry. The recovery was 97.7 ± 5.3% and 95.5 ± 4.6% for ²⁴¹Am and ²⁴²Pu respectively in reagents without a matrix. The recoveries of the same isotopes were 99.1 ± 6.0 and 96.8 ± 5.3% respectively in garden soil. The robustness of the method was validated using certified reference materials (IAEA 384 and IAEA 385). The measurements agree with the certified values over a range of about 1–100 Bq kg⁻¹. The single column separation of Pu and Am saves reagents, separation time, and cost.     

Evaluation of on-line preconcentration and flow-injection amperometry for phosphate determination in fresh and marine waters

Dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) was determined as orthophosphate (PO₄-P) in fresh and saline water samples by flow-injection (FI) amperometry, without and with in-valve column preconcentration. Detection is based on reduction of the product formed from the reaction of DRP with acidic molybdate at a glassy carbon working electrode (GCE) at 220 mV versus the Ag/AgCl reference electrode. A 0.1 M potassium chloride solution was used as both supporting electrolyte and eluent in the preconcentration system. For the FI configuration without preconcentration, a detection limit of 3.4 μg P l⁻¹ and sample throughput of 70 samples h⁻¹ were achieved. The relative standard deviations for 50 and 500 μg P l⁻¹ orthophosphate standards were 5.2 and 5.9%, respectively. By incorporating an ion exchange preconcentration column, a detection limit of 0.18 μg P l⁻¹ was obtained for a 2-min preconcentration time (R.S.D.s for 0.1 and 1 μg P l⁻¹ standards were 22 and 1.0%, respectively). Potential interference from silicate, sulfide, organic phosphates and sodium chloride were investigated. Both the systems were applied to the analysis of certified reference materials and water samples.     

Solid phase extraction of Co ions using l-tyrosine immobilized on multiwall carbon nanotubes

A study was performed to assess the performance of aminoacids immobilized on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) for their employment as a sorbent for solid phase extraction systems. An immobilization method is introduced and the aminoacid l-tyrosine was chosen as a case study. A spectrophotometric study revealed the amount of aminoacid immobilizated on CNTs surface, and it turned to be of 3174 μmol of l-tyr g⁻¹. The material was tested for Co retention using a minicolumn inserted in a flow system. At pH 7.0, the amount of Co retained by the column was of 37.58 ± 3.06 μmol Co g⁻¹ of CNTs. A 10% (v/v) HNO₃ solution was chosen as eluent. The pH study revealed that Co binding increased at elevated pH values. The calculation of the mol ratio (moles of Co bound at pH 9 to moles of l-tyr) turned to be 3:1. The retention capacity was compared to other bivalent cations and showed the following tendency: Cu²⁺ > Ni²⁺ > Zn²⁺ ? Co²⁺. The analytical performance was evaluated and an enrichment factor of 180 was obtained when 10 mL of 11.37 μg L⁻¹ Co solution was loaded onto the column at pH 9.0; reaching a limit of detection (LoD) of 50 ng L⁻¹. The proposed system was successfully applied to Co determination in QC-LL2 standard reference material (metals in natural water).