Flame atomic absorption spectrometric determination of trace amounts of palladium,gold and nickel after cloud point extraction

In this article, a sensitive cloud point extraction procedure for the preconcentration of trace amounts of palladium, gold and nickel prior to their determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry has been developed. The cloud point extraction method is based on the complexation of Pd(II), Au(II), and Ni(II) ions with 1-(2-pyridylazo)-2-naphthol and entrapping in non-ionic surfactant Triton X-114. The main factors affecting cloud point extraction efficiency, such as pH of sample solution, concentration of 1-(2-pyridylazo)-2-naphthol and Triton X-114, equilibration temperature and time, were investigated in detail. Under the optimized conditions, calibration curves were constructed for the determination of palladium, gold and nickel according to the general procedure. Linearity was maintained from 0.01 to 1.0 μg/mL for palladium, 10.0 μg/mL to 1.5 μg/mL for gold, and 10.0 μg/mL to 0.5 μg/mL for nickel. Detection limits based on three times the standard deviation of the blank divided by the slope of analytical curve (3Sb/m) for Pd(II), Au(III), and Ni(11) ions were 3.4, 3.9, and 2.4 μg/mL, respectively. Seven replicate determination of a mixture of 0.5 μg/mL palladium and gold and 0.2 μg/mL nickel gave a mean absorbance of 0.174, 0.150, and 0.201 with relative standard deviation ±1.5, ±1.3, and ±1.8%, respectively. The high efficiency of cloud point extraction to carry out the determination of analytes in complex matrices was demonstrated. The proposed method has been applied for determination of trace amount of palladium, gold and nickel in certified reference material and water samples with satisfactory results.