On-line ion-exchange preconcentration and determination of traces of platinum by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

A method to determine trace amounts of platinum in different samples based on electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry is described. The preconcentration step is performed on a chelating resin microcolumn [1,5-bis(2-pyridyl)-3-sulfophenyl methylene thiocarbonohydrazide (PSTH) immobilized on an anion-exchange resin (Dowex 1x8-200)] placed in the autosampler arm. The combination of a peristaltic pump for sample loading and the atomic absorption spectrometer pumps for elution through a selection valve simplifies the hardware. The peristaltic pump and the selection valve are easily controlled electronically with two switches placed in the autosampler, which are activated when the autosampler arm is down. Thus, the process is fully automated without any modification of the software of the atomic absorption spectrometer. Under the optimum conditions with a 60-s preconcentration time, a sample flow rate of 2.4 mL min(-1), and an injection volume of eluent of 40 microL, a linear calibration graph was obtained in the range 0-100 ng mL(-1). The enrichment factor was 14. The detection limit under these conditions is 1 ng mL(-1), and the relative standard deviation (RSD) is 1.6% for 10 ng mL(-1) of Pt. The method has been applied to the determination of platinum in catalyst, vegetation, soil, and natural water samples. The results showed good agreement with the certified value and the recoveries of Pt added to samples were 98-105%.     

On-line determination of palladium by flame atomic absorption spectrometry coupled with a separation/preconcentration minicolumn containing a new sorbent

A method was developed for the on-line determination of palladium in complex matrices with flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) using Amberlite XAD-16 resin functionalized with 2-[2-(5-thiol-1,3,4-thiadiazolyl)]-azonaphthol (TTAN) reagent. Optimum experimental conditions such as pH of sample, type of eluent, amount of resin, volumes of sample and eluent solution, flow rates of sample and eluent, and effect of interfering ions were established. A 0.1?mol?L^?1 thiourea solution in 0.5?mol?L^?1 HCl was used as the eluent and subsequently transportation the analyte ions into the nebulizer–burner system for atomization. The synthesized chelating resin material showed excellent chemical and mechanical resistance, fast adsorption kinetics permitting the use of high sample flow rates without significant losses of retention efficiency. The detection limit of the method was 1.5?µg?L^?1 while the relative standard deviation (RSD%) was 2.4% at 0.1?mg?L^?1 Pd(II) level. The developed method was successfully applied to the determination of palladium in the catalytic converter and water samples.     

Determination of gold in ore by flame atomic absorption spectrometry with flow-injection on-line sorbent extraction preconcentration

Gold in ores was determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry following on-line preconcentration by sorbent extraction in a flow-injection system. The medium polarity adsorption resin Amberlite XAD-8 packed in a 220-μl micro-column was used to collect gold(III) from hydrochloric acid sample solutions for 40 s at 7.6 ml/min. Ethanol was used to elute the adsorbed analytes into the nebulizer. Optimization studies were made on sample loading rate, elution rate and sample acidity. Some possible interferences on the determination are discussed. A 35-fold enrichment was achieved at a sampling frequency of 60 h^?1 and with an RSD of 1.4%. The detection limit (3σ) and 2 μg l^?1. Results for gold in ore samples showed good agreement with those obtained using activated carbon adsorption preconcentration. The recoveries were 97–108%.     

On-line sorptive preconcentration platform incorporating a readily exchangeable Oasis HLB extraction micro-cartridge for trace cadmium and lead determination by flow injection-flame atomic absorption spectrometry

A simple, sensitive and inexpensive flow injection solid phase extraction (SPE) system was developed for automatic determination of trace level concentrations of metals. The potentials of this novel scheme, coupled to flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS), were demonstrated for trace cadmium and lead determination in environmental water samples. The method was based on on-line chelate complex formation of target species with ammonium diethyldithiophosphate (DDTP), retention onto the surface of reversed-phase poly(divinylbenzene-N-vinylpyrrolidone) co-polymeric beads (Oasis HLB) and elution with methanol prior to atomization. A special PVC adapter was designed for easy and rapid replacement of the commercially available SPE cartridge. All main chemical and hydrodynamic parameters affecting the complex formation, sorption and elution of the analyte were optimized thoroughly. Moreover, the effect of potential interfering species occurring in environmental samples was also explored.For 90 s preconcentration time, enhancement factors of 155 and 180, detection limits (3s) of 0.09 μg L^− 1 and 0.9 μg L^− 1 and relative standard deviations (R.S.D.) of 2.9% (at 4.0 μg L^− 1) and 2.6% (at 20.0 μg L^− 1) were obtained for cadmium and lead, respectively, with a sample throughput of 24 h^− 1. The measurement trueness of the developed method was evaluated by analyzing a certified reference material and spiked environmental water samples. The proposed method is well suited to detect the target elements at concentration levels below the maximum allowed concentrations endorsed by the European Framework Directive (2008/105/EC) in inland and coastal waters.     

New anion-exchange solid-phase extraction support used for preconcentration and determination of lead in water samples by flame atomic absorption spectrometry

A new chelating resin was prepared by coupling Amberlite XAD-2 with Brilliant Green through an azo spacer. The resulting resin has been characterized by FTIR spectrometry, elemental analysis, and thermogravimetric analysis and studied for the preconcentration and determination of trace Pb(II) ions from solution samples. The anionic complex of Pb(II) and iodide was retained on the resin by the formation of an ion associate with Brilliant Green on Amberlite XAD-2 in weak acidic medium. The optimum pH value for sorption of the metal ion was 5.5. The sorption capacity of the functionalized resin is 53.8 mg/g. The chelating resin can be reused for 20 cycles of sorption-desorption without any significant change in sorption capacity. A recovery of 103% was obtained for the metal ion with 0.1 M EDTA as the eluting agent. Scatchard analysis revealed that the homogeneous binding sites were formed in the polymers. The resin was subjected to evaluation through batch binding and column chromatography of Pb(II). The equilibrium adsorption data of Pb(II) on modified resin were analyzed by Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin models. Based on equilibrium adsorption data, the Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin constants were determined to be 0.192, 13.189, and 3.418 at pH 5.5 and 25 degrees C. The method was applied for lead ion determination in tap water samples.     

On-line coupling of electrochemical preconcentration in tungsten coil electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry for determination of lead in natural waters

A flow injection system was coupled to a tungsten coil electrothermal atomizer (150 W) for on-line separation and preconcentration of lead based on its electrochemical reduction on the atomizer surface. The electrochemical cell is built up inside the furnace by using a Pt flow-through anode and the atomizer itself as the flow-through cathode. The manifold and the tungsten coil power supply were controlled by a computer running a program written in Visual Basic, which was utilized in synchronism with the original software of the atomic absorption spectrometer. The flow-through anode (50 mm long, 0.7 mm i.d.) was inserted in tip of the autosampler arm by replacing the last section of the PTFE sample delivering tube. The tungsten coil atomizer and the counter electrode were easily connected to a d.c. power supply. An enrichment factor of 25 was obtained for lead after a 120-s electrodeposition for a sample flowing at 1.0 ml min⁻¹. The method detection limit was 0.2 μg l⁻¹ Pb and the R.S.D.<5% (n=10 for 5 μg l⁻¹ Pb). Up to 2% m/v NaCl or KCl and 5% m/v CaCl₂ or MgCl₂ did not interfere on the separation and atomization of 5 μg l⁻¹ Pb.     

On-line precipitation/dissolution system for the preconcentration and determination of manganese traces by atomic absorption spectrometry

Flame atomic absorption spectrometry was used for the determination of Mn in biological material following preconcentration by precipitation. The proposed preconcentration method is based on the continuous precipitation of Mn(II) as hydrated Mn(IV) oxide in ammonia buffer and dissolution of the precipitate with hydrogen oxalate or dilute nitric acid. The sensitivity of the Mn determination is increased by the presence of hydrogen peroxide, which raises the rate of oxidation of Mn(II) to Mn(IV). By using a time-based technique (at a sample loading rate of 4 ml min⁻¹) a concentration factor of up to 55 was obtained using 24 ml of sample. The effect of concurrent cations was investigated; the most adverse effect was exerted by Fe(III), which interfered at concentrations 50 times higher than that of Mn(II).     

Silk fibroin as a sorbent for on-line extraction and preconcentration of copper with detection by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

Silk fibroin is a kind of polypeptide with functional amino acids in its structure. The electric charges in its molecular chains originating from the dissociation of acidic groups, i.e., hydroxyl, phenol and carboxyl, provide vast potentials for the retention of metal species of interest. In this study, the selective retention of Cu²⁺ with silk fibroin at pH 6.0 was investigated and a novel on-line procedure for separation/preconcentration of Cu²⁺ from complex sample matrices was thus developed by using a sequential injection system with an electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry. A novel concept of enrichment index (EI), i.e., defined as enrichment factor (EF) obtained by consuming unity of sample volume (ml), was proposed for evaluating the enrichment efficiency of a flow-based preconcentration procedure. With a sampling volume of 900 μl, an EI of 30.3 (EF = 27.3) was achieved, which was much improved as compared to that of reported procedures. A detection limit of 8.0 ng l⁻¹ was achieved within a linear range of 0.025-1.5 μg l⁻¹ along with a precision of 2.2% R.S.D. at 0.5 μg l⁻¹. The practical applicability of this procedure was validated by analyzing a certified reference material of riverine water (GBW08608) and a certified reference material of seawater (NASS-5) achieving satisfactory agreements between the certified and the obtained values. A spiking recovery was also performed by using a cave water sample.     

Flow injection sorbent extraction with dialkyldithiophosphates as chelating agent for the determination of cadmium, copper and lead by flame atomic absorption spectrometry

Using octadecyl functional groups (C₁₈) bonded to silica gel as sorbent and methanol as eluent, the flow injection sorbent extraction features of dialkyldithiophosphates (RO)₂P(S)S⁻ as the chelating agent for cadmium, copper and lead was investigated in respect of the effects of pH, alkyl substituent group, reagent concentration and masking agent, with flame atomic absorption spectrometric detection. The elements are quantitatively extracted with the short-alkyl-chain reagents (R up to propyl) in acidic medium. The extractability decreases with the number of carbon atoms in the alkyl groups of the reagents and with the reagent concentration when the alkyl groups are larger than butyl, but masking agents increase the extractability. An explanation proposed for this effect is the formation of polynuclear chelates. Diethyldithiophosphate can be used for the selective determination of cadmium, copper and lead in digested solid environmental samples. With 20 s sample loading at 8.7 ml min⁻¹, the enhancement factors are 35 for cadmium and copper or 26 for lead; the detection limits (3σ) are 0.8, 1.4 and 10.0 μg 1⁻¹ for cadmium, copper and lead, respectively.     

Separation and preconcentration of ultratrace lead in biological organisms and its determination by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

A biological organism (chitosan) was utilized to preconcentrate lead ions from tap water. This preconcentration was achieved by mixing 0.8 ml of chitosan slurry with 10-50 ml of lead-containing solution and subsequently separating by centrifugation. The chitosan paste was then dissolved in 1 ml of 0.2% nitric acid and analysed by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. The extraction efficiency can approach 100% in the pH range 4-10. The amount of chitosan used was not critical. The effect of some impurities was also investigated. If six samples were prepared simultaneously, the time needed to preconcentrate each sample was less than 3 min. Two different modes of standard addition (the standard lead solutions being added before and after preconcentration) were used for analysis of tap water samples, and the results obtained by the two modes were found to be quite consistent.     

On-line preconcentration and determination of cobalt by chelating microcolumns and flow injection atomic spectrometry

A simple and sensitive flow injection analysis-atomic absorption spectrometric procedure is described for the determination of cobalt. The method is based upon on-line preconcentration of cobalt on a microcolumn of 2-nitroso-1-naphthol immobilized on surfactant coated alumina. The trapped cobalt is then eluted with ethanol (250 μl) and determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The analytical figures of merit for the determination of cobalt are as follows: detection limit (3 S), 0.02 ng ml⁻¹; precision (RSD), 2.8% for 20 ng ml⁻¹ and 1.7% for 70 ng ml⁻¹ of cobalt; enrichment factor, 125 (using 25 ml of sample). The method has been applied to the determination of cobalt in water samples, vitamin B₁₂ and B-complex ampoules and accuracy was assessed through recovery experiment and independent analysis by furnace AAS.     

Flame atomic absorption spectrometric determination of cadmium and copper in biological reference materials using on-line sorbent extraction preconcentration

Summary Cadmium and copper at the g/g to ng/g level in plant and animal tissue reference materials, and at the g/l level in urine were determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry using on-line sorbent extraction preconcentration based on flow injection techniques. Bonded silica reversed phase sorbent with octadecyl functional groups (RP-C 18), packed in a 100 l column, was used to collect the diethylammonium-N,N-diethyldithiocarbamate (DDTC) complex formed on-line in the sample digests at low pH. Methanol was used to elute the analyte chelates directly into the nebulizer-burner system of the spectrometer. Small air segments introduced before and after elution prevented the eluent from mixing with the sample solution and increased the sensitivity. A sampling frequency of 85/h could be obtained with a sample loading time of 30 s at a flow rate of 4.0 ml/min. The enrichment factor for both elements was 20 and the enhancement factors, including the effect of the organic solvent and with the flow spoiler removed, were 126 and 114 for cadmium and copper, respectively. The detection limits (3) were 0.15 g/l for cadmium and 0.2 g/l for copper. The precision was 2.3% and 1.4% r.s.d. for 10 g/l Cd and 45 g/l Cu, respectively (n=11). Results for the determination of cadmium and copper in various biological reference materials were typically in good agreement with certified values. Low recoveries were observed, however, for cadmium in samples containing high levels of copper and/or iron, such as bovine liver.On leave from Flow Injection Analysis Research Center, Institute of Applied Ecology, Academia Sinica, Shenyang, China     

Determination of iron and lead by flame atomic absorption spectrometry after preconcentration with sepiolite

By using a new adsorbent (sepiolite) an adsorption-elution and atomic absorption spectrometric method has been developed for the preconcentration and determination of Fe and Pb. Recoveries of the analytes were 82 ± 3% for Fe and 91 ± 2% for Pb at 95% confidence level. For Cu it was only 5 ± 1%. The recovery of iron could be increased to about 97 ± 1% by complexing with EDTA, the recovery of copper only to 57 ± 2%. The optimised method was applied to the determination of lead in metal materials (e.g. brass). Received: 20 February 1996 / Revised: 7 May 1996 / Accepted: 11 May 1996     

The determination of lead in petrol by atomic absorption spectrometry

The lead compounds are extracted into aqueous iodine monochloride, converted to lead nitrate by digestion with nitric acid, and determined by atomic absorption spectrometry against aqueous lead nitrate standards. The procedure is accurate, precise and rapid.     

Trace gold determination by on-line preconcentration with flow injection atomic absorption spectrometry

A reverse-phase extraction column method has been employed as an on-line preconcentration technique for trace gold analysis by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. Di(methylheptyl)methyl phosphonate (DMHMP) loaded onto a macroporous resin was used as the immobilized phase. A thiourea-HCl solution was found successful in eluting the gold. The experimental parameters were optimized by Simplex Optimization, with 17 tests needed to obtain optimal conditions. Sensitivities of 5.2 mug/l. and 2.3 mug/l., with sample frequencies of 45/hr and 48/hr, were obtained by using single and dual-columns respectively. The recoveries for mixed composition samples were 93-110%.     

On-line preconcentration system for lead(II) determination in waste water by atomic absorption spectrometry using active carbon loaded with Pyrogallol Red.

An on-line system for enrichment and determination of lead(II) is presented. It is based on the adsorption of lead(II) ions on a minicolumn packed with active carbon loaded with Pyrogallol Red. After preconcentration step, the metal ions are eluted automatically by 5.0 ml of 0.50 M nitric acid solution and the lead ion contents were determined by atomic absorption spectrometry. The influence of chemicals, pH and flow variables were studied as well as effect of potential interfering ions. Under the optimum conditions, the lead ions in aqueous samples were concentrated about 100 fold by the column. The detection limit was 0.001 microg ml(-1). The recovery percent of spliced lead(II) was in the range of 98%-103%.     

On-line preconcentration of inorganic mercury and methylmercury in sea-water by sorbent-extraction and total mercury determination by cold vapour atomic absorption spectrometry

A comparative study of three mercury chelate forming reagents [diethyldithiocarbamate, pyrrolidin-1-yldithioformate and diphenylthiocarbazone (dithizone)] has been carried out for the preconcentration of ultratrace amounts of inorganic mercury and methylmercury in silica C(18) minicolumns as the solid sorbent. Sample flow injection in-line sorbent extraction was coupled with continuous cold vapour atomic absorption spectrometry (CVAAS) for detection. Results showed the superiority of the carbamate type reagents over the dithizone for the on-line formation and preconcentration of the corresponding mercury chelates. Using diethyldithiocarbamate (DDC) as reagent, aqueous sample volumes of 100 ml can be preconcentrated with 100% efficiency for both inorganic mercury and methylmercury. Quantitative release of the retained DDC chelates was obtained for volumes of eluent (ethanol) of 50 microl. Following the proposed procedure, detection limits of 16 ng/l. of mercury were achieved for sample volumes of 25 ml. The relative standard deviation was +/- 3.4% at 0.5 microg/l. Hg(II) levels. The method has been successfully applied to the determination of low levels of mercury in sea-water.     

Simultaneous extraction and preconcentration of copper,silver and palladium with modified alumina and their determination by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

In the present work,an easy solid phase extraction method using alumina modified with polyethylenimine as a new adsorbent was applied to the simultaneous extraction of copper,silver,and palladium ions prior to their determination with electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry.The analytical procedure involved the complex formation of these cations with polyethylenimine as a chelating agent in buffer media of pH 7.0.Under the optimum conditions,a preconcentration factor of200,150,and 200,precision of ±5.4%,±4.7%,and ±5.2%and linear calibration ranges of 15.0-140,4.0-93,and 7.5-125 ng/L(in original solution) for Cu,Ag,and Pd were obtained,respectively.Also detection limits of3.9,1.1,and 2.0 ng/L were obtained for Cu,Ag,and Pd,respectively.The proposed method was applied to the determination of copper,silver,and palladium in some real samples with satisfactory results.