Determination of gold by nanometer titanium dioxide immobilized on silica gel packed microcolumn and flame atomic absorption spectrometry in geological and water samples

A new method has been developed for the determination of gold based on separation and preconcentration with a microcolumn packed with nanometer TiO₂ immobilized on silica gel (immobilized nanometer TiO₂) prior to its determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The optimum experimental parameters for preconcentration of gold, such as pH of the sample, sample flow rate and volume, eluent and interfering ions, have been investigated. Gold could be quantitatively retained by immobilized nanometer TiO₂ in the pH range of 8-10, then eluted completely with 0.1 mol L⁻¹ HNO₃. The detection limit of this method for Au was 0.21 ng mL⁻¹ with an enrichment factor of 50, and the relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) was 1.8% at the 100 ng mL⁻¹ Au level. The method has been applied for the determination of trace amounts of Au in geological and water samples with satisfactory results.     

Chemically modified electrode for the determination of gold — an electrochemical and spectrophotometric study

The voltammetric determination of trace amounts of gold has been studied using a chemically modified electrode. The role played by the host molecule attached to a glassy carbon electrode (GCE), i.e. 8,9,17,18-dibenzo-1,7-dioxa-10,13,16-triazacyclooctadecane (DDTC), was examined by electrochemical and spectrochemical techniques. Cathodic stripping voltammetry (CSV) was applied to study the various parameters affecting the affinity of gold ions by a DDTC modified electrode as well as the interference by other ions. Finally, the method has been successfully applied to determine gold traces in a geological sample. In addition, the formation of an AuCl ₄ ^– -DDTC complex was followed and its formation constant was determined by spectrophotometry.     

Simultaneous determination of uranium and plutonium isotopes in soils by means of single alpha-spectrometry

A simple, rapid and reliable method was developed for the simultaneous determination of uranium and plutonium isotopes by alpha-spectrometry using a single source. A new uranium tracer²³⁰U was applied as well as the²³⁶Pu tracer to determine overall yields of uranium and plutonium isotopes throughout the entire procedure employed. The analytical procedure consists of sample leaching with 8N HNO₃ solution, purification by solvent extraction, simultaneous electrodeposition of U and Pu, and subsequent alpha-spectrometry with a silicon detector. In the solvent extraction using TOA/xylene from 8N HNO₃ solution, the preferential extractability of Pu rather than U permits to purify simultaneously the trace amounts of Pu and the macro amounts of U, as in the case of ordinary soil samples, resulting in favourable peak heights for both isotopes. From a single alpha-spectrum, the determinations of²³⁸U,²³⁴U (and their ratio of²³⁴U/²³⁸U),^239+240Pu, and²³⁸Pu contents were conveniently carried out after correcting the overall yields obtained from²³⁰U and²³⁶Pu activities in the same spectrum. This analytical method was satisfactorily applied to the determination of U and Pu isotope contents in some soils.     

The reliable determination of mercury traces in sea water by subtractive differential pulse voltammetry at the twin gold electrode

In the marine environment, mercury has the greatest toxicological significance among the common metals. By combining several basic principles of advanced voltammetry, a reliable and accurate procedure with a determination limit of 1 ng l^-1 has been developed. The complete method, which is necessary for application to sea water, consists of cathodic deposition under programmed polarization with intermittent short anodic pulses to strip the co-deposited copper usually present in sea water in substantially larger amounts than mercury, subsequent medium exchange to 0.1 M HClO₄–2.5 × 10^-3 M HCl, and differential pulse anodic stripping in the subtractive mode at a twin gold disc electrode system. Construction of the twin electrode (which has its two halves insulated from each other), characteristics of the stages of the voltammetric procedure and its performance are presented. The method is very flexible and can be adapted and simplified for application to other aqueous matrices and natural waters with mercury levels above 100 ng l^-1. The data from a case study yielding a survey of the mercury content in the German North Sea coastal waters demonstrate the significance of this new analytical procedure for research and monitoring tasks in marine trace chemistry.     

Kinetic-Spectrophotometric Determination of Molybdenum(VI) Based on Its Catalytic Effect on the Thionine-Hydrazine Reaction

Abstract

A kinetic method for the determination of trace amounts of Mo(VI) (0.05-4 μg ml^?1) based on its catalytic effect on the reduction of thionine by hydrazine monochloride in strongly acidic media is reported. The reaction is monitored spectrophotometrically by measuring the decrease in absorbance of thionine at 605 nm after a fixed time (5 min.). The detection limit of the method is 23 ng ml^?1 and the relative standard deviation (RSD) for 0.05 μg ml^?1 of Mo(VI) is 1.2% (n=7). The method is almost free from interferences, especially from large amounts of tungsten. The procedure was successfully applied to the determination of trace amounts of molybdenum in steel.     

Kinetic Analysis of Cobalt in Veterinary Products

A novel kinetic method for the determination of trace amounts of Co(II) has been developed. The proposed method based on the catalytic effect of Co(II) on the oxidation of xylenol orange tetra sodium salt by H₂O₂ in the presence of cationic surfactant (N‐dodecylpyridinium chloride). Co(II) at μg.mL^?1 was determined spectrophotometrically by measuring the decrease in the absorbance of xylenol orange at 577 nm by the differential method. The method is precise, selective, and sensitive. The detection limit of the procedure was 0.058 μg.mL^?1. The relative standard deviation for the replicate determination (n = 6) of 0.7 μg.mL^?1 was 1.285%. The results compared satisfactorily with those of atomic absorption spectrometry. The method was successful for the analysis of Co(II) in veterinary and synthetic samples.     

Kinetic determination of uranium(IV) based on its catalytic effect on the phosphomolybdic acid-iodide reaction

A kinetic spectrophotometric method has been developed for the determination of trace amounts of uranium(IV) based on its catalytic effect on the phosphomolybdic acid iodide reaction. A significant feature of the proposed procedure is the selectivity for uranium(IV); it enables the determination of trace amount of uranium in the presence of large excess of rare metalions and other cations and anions. The method can be applied to the determination of uranium within the concentration range of 0–12μg· cm^?3, and the detection limit of the method is 0.02μg·cm^?3. Trace amounts of uranium in thorium nitrate and scandium oxide had been determined by the procedure and the results are satisfactory.     

Preconcentration by coprecipitation of arsenic and tin in natural waters with a Ni–pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate complex and their direct determination by solid-sampling atomic-absorption spectrometry

A method for the determination of trace amounts of arsenic and tin in natural waters is described. Trace amounts of arsenic and tin were preconcentrated by coprecipitation with a Ni–ammonium pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (APDC) complex. The coprecipitates obtained were directly analyzed by graphite-furnace atomic-absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) using the Ni–APDC complex solid-sampling technique. The coprecipitation conditions used for the trace amounts of arsenic and tin in natural water were investigated in detail. It was found that arsenic and tin at sub-ng mL^–1 levels were both coprecipitated quantitatively by Ni(PDC)₂ in the pH range 2–3. The concentration factors by coprecipitation reached approximately 40,000 when 2 mg nickel was added as a carrier element to 500 mL of the water sample. The proposed method has been applied to the determination of trace amounts of arsenic and tin in river water and seawater reference materials, and the detection limits for arsenic and tin, which were calculated from three times of the standard deviation of the procedural blanks, are 0.02 ng mL^–1 and 0.04 ng mL^–1, respectively, for 500-mL volumes of water sample.     

Derivative Spectrophotometric Determination of Copper and Palladium Simultaneously by Using MDTC as a Reagent

Abstract

A selective, sensitive, and economical derivative spectrophotometric method has been developed for the determination of trace amount of Cu(II) and Pd(II) with MDTC as a reagent in the presence of CTAB, a solubilizing agent. The molar absorption coefficient and analytical sensitivities of the 1:2 Cu(MDTC)₂ and Pd(MDTC)₂ complexes are 2.467×10⁴ and 2.989×10⁴ l mol^?1, respectively. The developed derivative procedure, is applied for the rapid and selective simultaneous determination of Cu(II) and Pd(II) in the range of 0.2–15 and 0.1–10 µg/ml, respectively. Complex matrices, including alloys, biological samples, pharmaceutical samples and synthetic mixtures have been successfully analyzed for trace amounts of two metal ions.     

Construction and Application of an Electrochemical Sensor for Simultaneous Determination of Cd(II), Cu(II) and Hg(II) in Water and Foodstuff Samples

By incorporation of synthesized magnetite nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄ NPs) coated with a new Schiff base into carbon paste electrode, a novel modified electrode was constructed for simultaneous determination of ultra trace amounts of Cd(II), Cu(II) and Hg(II). The complexation reaction of Schiff base with metal ions was studied spectrophotometrically. Under optimal conditions a detection limit of 0.20, 0.90 and 1.00 ng mL^?1 for Cd(II), Cu(II) and Hg(II), respectively, was obtained. We take the advantages of the proposed method for simple, rapid, sensitive and selective simultaneous determination of trace amounts of hazardous Cd(II), Cu(II) and Hg(II) in water and foodstuff samples.     

Extraction of iridium(IV) from hydrochloric acid media with crown ether in chloroform, and its determination by ICP–AES

A new method for the quantitative extraction and determination of trace amounts of iridium from hydrochloric acid media has been established based on the formation of an ion-association complex of iridium hexachloro anion IrCl₆ ^2– with dicyclohexyl-18-crown-6 (DC18C6) oxonium cation in chloroform, then determination by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP–AES). The effect of various factors (solvent, acid concentration, crown ether, reagent concentration, shaking time, composition of the extracted species, foreign ions, etc.) on the extraction and back-extraction of iridium has been investigated. The procedure was used to determine traces of iridium in palladium chloride and rhodium chloride.     

A Sorbent Extraction Procedure for the Preconcentration of Gold,Silver and Palladium on an Activated Carbon Column

ABSTRACT

A preconcentration method based on the use of an activated carbon column has been established for flame atomic absorption spectrometric determinations of gold, silver and palladium. The analytes were sorbed on the column as a complex of dithiophosphoric acid O, O-diethyl ester (DDTP). The sorbed analytes were eluted through the column with 2M NH₃ in acetone. Quantitative recoveries (≥95 %) for gold, silver and palladium were obtained from acidic solutions. The developing method was successfully applied to the determination of trace amounts of gold, silver and palladium in some samples with satisfactory results (relative standard deviation < 7 %; relative error < 3 %).     

Nanometer titanium dioxide immobilized on silica gel as sorbent for preconcentration of metal ions prior to their determination by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry

Nanometer titanium dioxide immobilized on silica gel (immobilized nanometer TiO₂) was prepared by sol-gel method and characterized by using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The adsorptive potential of immobilized nanometer TiO₂ for the preconcentration of trace Cd, Cr, Cu and Mn was assessed in this work. The metal ions studied can be quantitative retained at a pH range of 8-9, and 0.5 mol L⁻¹ HNO₃ was sufficient for complete elution. The adsorption capacity of immobilized nanometer TiO₂ for Cd, Cr, Cu and Mn was found to be 2.93, 2.11, 6.69 and 2.47 mg g⁻¹, respectively. A new method using a microcolumn packed with immobilized nanometer TiO₂ as sorbent has been developed for the preconcentration of trace amounts of Cd, Cr, Cu and Mn prior to their determination by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). The method has been successfully applied for the determination of trace elements in some environmental samples with satisfactory results.     

Catalytic kinetic spectrophotometric determination of trace amounts of palladium with dahlia violet after separation and preconcentration on sulphydryl dextran gel

A sensitive and selective kinetic catalytic spectrophotometric method has been described for the determination of trace amounts of palladium(II). The method is based on the catalytic effects of palladium(II) on the reduction reactions of Dahlia Violet with sodium dihydrogen hypophosphite (NaH₂PO₂) in a sulfuric acid medium. Under optimal conditions, trace amounts of palladium(II) can be determined. A good linear range has been obtained in the concentration range of Pd(II) over 0.001–0.028 μg/mL with a detection limit of 5.9 × 10⁻¹⁰ g/mL. The method has been successfully applied to the determination of palladium(II) in ore and soil samples. The relative standard deviation was less than 5.0% (n = 11). The coexisting ions were eliminated by preconcentration and separation on sulphydryl dextran gel with satisfactory results. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Determination of furazolidone in urine by square-wave voltammetric method

A fast, simple and sensitive square-wave voltammetric (SWV) method for the determination of trace amounts of furazolidone (FZ) in urine is reported. A three-electrode system containing stationary mercury dropping (SMDE) working electrode, Pt auxiliary electrode and Ag/AgCl reference electrode was used throughout. Briton-Rabinson buffer solution is used as both pH adjusting agent and supporting electrolyte. The calibration graph showed good linearity in the concentration range of 20–900 ng ml^?1 of furazolidone with a regression coefficient of 0.9996. The equation Δ(i) = 0.0095C_FZ + 0.234 was used for calculation of furazolidone concentration in the sample solution, where C_FZ is the concentration of furazolidone in ng ml^?1 and Δ(i) is the difference between voltammogram peak currents of sample and blank solution. The RSD for 8 replicate measurements of a 60 ng ml^?1 solution and LOD of the proposed method were found to be 2.2% and 5.2 ng ml^?1, respectively. The procedure was successfully applied to the determination of furazolidone in urine samples.     

Selective determination of trace arsenic and antimony species in natural waters by gas chromatography with a photoionization detector

Traces amounts of arsenic and antimony in water samples were determined by gas chromatography with a photoionization detector after liquidnitrogen cold trapping of their hydrides. The sample solution was treated with sodium hydroborate (NaBH₄) under weak-acid conditions for arsenic(III) and antimony(III) determination, and under strong-acid conditions for arsenic(III+V) and antimony(III+V) determination. Large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and water vapor obscured determination of arsine and stibine. Better separation from interference could be achieved by removing CO₂ and water vapor in two tubes containing sodium hydroxide pellets and calcium chloride, respectively. The detection limits of this method were 1.8 ng dm^?3 for arsenic and 9.4 ng dm^?3 for antimony in the case of 100-cm³ sample volumes. Therefore, it is suitable for determination of trace arsenic and antimony in natural waters.     

Determination of trace molybdenum in biological and water samples by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry after separation and preconcentration on immobilized titanium dioxide nanoparticles

A new method has been developed for the determination of trace molybdenum based on separation and preconcentration with TiO₂ nanoparticles immobilized on silica gel (immobilized TiO₂ nanoparticles) prior to its determination by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS). The optimum experimental parameters for preconcentration of molybdenum, such as pH of the sample, sample flow rate and volume, eluent and interfering ions, have been investigated. Molybdenum can be quantitatively retained by immobilized TiO₂ nanoparticles at pH 1.0 and separated from the metal cations in the solution, then eluted completely with 0.5 mol L^?1 NaOH. The detection limit of this method for Mo was 0.6 ng L^?1 with an enrichment factor of 100, and the relative standard deviation (RSD) was 3.4% at the 10 ng mL^?1 Mo level. The method has been applied to the determination of trace amounts of Mo in biological and water samples with satisfactory results.     

Preconcentration and separation of trace amounts of palladium using dithiooxamide functionalized chelating resin followed by its determination using radiotracer technique

The work describes a procedure of preconcentration and separation of trace amounts of Pd(II) by solid phase extraction of the metal ion by dithiooxamide groups incorporated into a matrix of polystyrene-divinylbenzene whereas the determination of palladium has been carried out by radiotracer technique using ¹⁰⁹Pd (T _1/2 = 13.43 hr, E _γ = 311, 647 keV). The experiments were carried out using both batch method and column operation. Parameters such as the amount of resin, effect of pH, equilibration rate, sorption and desorption of metal ions have been studied. The maximum sorption capacity for palladium was found to be 0.10 mmol·g⁻¹ at pH 6.0. The method is rapid, has a good accuracy and can be used routinely.     

Ion-chromatographic determination of iodide in sea water with UV detection

A highly sensitive and selective ion-chromatographic procedure with UV detection at 227 nm was developed for the determination of trace amounts of iodide. The procedure utilizes 0.1M NaOH as eluent, which enables the determination of 1–100 g I^–1 I^– with a precision of ca. 6%. 1000-fold amounts of other anions such as fluoride, chloride, phosphate, sulphate, bromide, nitrite and nitrate do not interfere. The method has been applied to determine iodide in sea water samples from the Indian coast.     

A new procedure for determination of nickel in some fake jewelry and cosmetics samples after dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction by FAAS

A new, simple and cheap dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (DLLME) procedure was optimized for the preconcentration of trace amounts of Ni(II) as a prior step to its determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). It is based on the microextraction of nickel, where appropriate amounts of the extraction solvent (CHCl₃), disperser solvent (ethanol) and chelating agent, name 5‐[(Z)‐isoxazol‐3‐yl‐diazenyl]‐2‐methyl‐quinolin‐8‐ol (MMD), were firstly synthesized/characterized and used. Various parameters that affect the extraction procedure such as pH, centrifugation rate and time, the chelating agent (MMD) concentration and sampling volume on the recovery of Ni(II) were investigated. The preconcentration of a 20 ml sample solution was thus enhanced by a factor of 80. The resulting calibration graph was linear in the range of 0.24–10 mg L⁻¹ with a correlation coefficient of 0.9998. The limit of detection (3 s/b) obtained under optimal conditions was 1.00 μg L⁻¹. The relative standard deviation for certified reference material determinations was 1.2%. The accuracy of the method was verified by the determination of Ni(II) in the certified reference material of wastewater (Waste water CWW TMD). The proposed procedure was successfully applied to the determination of Ni(II) in some fake jewelry and cosmetics samples.