Separation and preconcentration of trace amounts of gold(III) ions using modified multiwalled carbon nanotube sorbent prior to flame atomic absorption spectrometry determination

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes are attractive as sorbents for SPE because they can be used for enrichment of organic compounds and metal ions at trace levels. In this study, multiwalled carbon nanotubes were oxidized with concentrated HNO3, and then the oxidized multiwalled carbon nanotubes were modified with 5-(4'-dimethylamino-benzyliden)-rhodanine. The modified multiwalled carbon nanotubes were used as a solid sorbent for separation and preconcentration of trace amounts of Au(III) ions. The sorption of Au(III) ions was quantitative in the pH range of 2.0-5.0, whereas quantitative desorption occurred instantaneously with 5.0 mL 2.0 M Na2S2O3. The eluted solution was aspirated directly into the flame for atomic absorption spectrometry. The proposed method resulted in an enrichment factor of 94. The RSD of the method was +/- 1.11% (n=10, 2.0 microg/mL) and the LOD was 0.15 ng/mL. The calibration curve for Au(III) was linear between 0.53 ng/mL and 36.0 microg/mL in the initial solution, with an R2 value of 0.9999. The sorbent capacity of the modified multiwalled carbon nanotubes was 7.3 mg Au(III)/g sorbent. The influences of the experimental parameters, including sample pH, sample flow rate, eluent volume and flow rate, sample volume, and interference of some ions on the recoveries of the Au ions, were investigated. The proposed method was applied for preconcentration and determination of Au in different samples.