The determination of dissolved chromium(III) and chromium(VI) and particulate chromium in waters at μg l-1 levels by thin-film x-ray fluorescence spectrometry

A method is described for the determination of particulate chromium and dissolved chromium(III) and (VI) in water at μg l^-1 levels. Particulate material is collected by filtration of the water sample through a membrane filter (0.4-μm pore-size). Chromium(III) and chromium(VI) are then coprecipitated, separately and in that order, with iron(III) hydroxide (at pH 8.5) and a cobalt—pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate carrier complex (at pH 4.0). Both precipitates are collected as thin films on membrane filters and, with the particulate material, analysed directly for chromium by x-ray fluorescence spectrometry. Detection limits, for a 100-ml water sample and counting times of 100 s, are 0.1 μg Cr l^-1. The method is unaffected by sea salt and is applicable, without modifications, to river and estuarine waters.     

Determination of chromium(VI) in the soil organic fraction

A procedure was developed for determining chromium(VI) in the soil organic fraction; it consisted of three steps: the preparation of a soil solution; the isolation and separation of chromium(VI) and chromium(III); and the determination of chromium(VI). Soil solutions were prepared by leaching soil samples with a Na₄P₂O₇ solution (the Rudd method). Chromium(VI) was extracted from the soil solution with a solution of sodium diethyldithiocarbamate in n-amyl alcohol; the conditions of the extraction and separation of chromium(VI) and chromium(III) were optimized. Chromium(VI) in solutions was determined after back extraction by spectrophotometry with diphenylcarbazide or by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The procedure was validated using a reference soil sample, and the material balance of chromium in the systems under study was calculated.     

Preconcentration and spectrophotometric determination of chromium(vi) in natural waters by coprecipitation with barium sulfate

A selective preconcentration of chromium(VI) is proposed for analysis of natural waters. Chromium(VI) is quantitatively separated from chromium(III) by coprecipitation with barium sulfate; salicylic acid is used as a masking agent for iron(III), aluminum(III) and chromium(III). The precipitate is fused with alkali carbonate, and the chromium(VI) in the melt is isolated with hot water and determined spectrophotometrically with diphenylcarbazide. The detection limit is 0.02 μg l^-1 the relative standard deviation for chromium(VI) in river water is less than 5%.     

Ultrafast concentration and speciation of chromium(III) and (VI)

There is an increasing need to know the concentrations of chromium(III) and (VI) separately rather than only the total chromium content. A method is described for accomplishing this very quickly using only low-cost, portable equipment. Two small, resin-loaded extraction disks are placed one on top of the other in a plastic holder. Then a syringe containing the aqueous sample is attached to the holder and the sample is pushed through the disks. In a matter of seconds, all of the chromium(VI) is retained on the top anion-exchange disk and chromium(III) is extracted by the second cation-exchange disk. The concentrations on each disk are several hundredfold higher than they were in the original sample. The amounts of chromium(III) and (VI) extracted are measured directly on the surface of the respective disks by diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). Despite the low molar absorptivity of chromium(III) in aqueous solution, the concentration on the upper most layer on the extraction disk is high enough to permit the determination of chromium(III) in samples at the low mg/L range. Chromium(VI) can also be determined at low to sub-mg/L concentrations. A study of the cation-exchange disks was undertaken to compare the performance characteristics of disks containing sulfonated resins and those with iminodiacetate functionality. In addition, data are presented to show the effects of heating the iminodiacetate disks after the initial extraction. The disks were heated in hot water for 15-30 min to complete the slow complexation reaction on the surface.     

Iodometric microgram determination of chromium(III) and (VI) by use of chemical amplification reactions

A simple, rapid and sensitive method is described for the iodometric determination of microgram amounts of chromium(III), based on the oxidation of chromium(III) with periodate at pH 3.2, removal of the unreacted periodate by masking with molybdate and subsequent iodometric determination of the liberated iodate. Chromium(VI) can be determined by this method after prior reduction to chromium(III) with sodium sulphite. The method can also be used for the analysis of organochromium compounds.     

Non-destructive rapid analysis discriminating between chromium(VI) and chromium(III) oxides in electrical and electronic equipment using Raman spectroscopy.

The European Union has banned chromium(VI) compounds in electrical and electronic equipment (EEE), such as chromate conversion coating films. Chromium(III) compounds are not banned. Using Raman spectroscopy without any preparation, we distinguished chromium(VI) oxide from chromium(III) oxide and chromium(III) hydroxide in chromate conversion coating films. Raman bands of chromium(VI) oxide were detected in films at around 1000 and 500 cm(-1), while chromium(III) compounds generated no bands in the region between 2000 and 200 cm(-1). The analysis took about 1 min, whereas the usual diphenylcarbazide-colorimetric method for analyzing chromium(VI) compounds takes about 10 h.     

The spectrophotometric determination of chromium in sea water

The coprecipitation of chromium from sea water by several precipitates was examined. With hydrous iron(III) oxide a recovery of chromium of >99% was obtained within the pH range 7.0–9.0 at a chromium level of ca. 0.4 μg/l. Chromium was separated from iron by anion exchange and determined spectrophotometrically using diphenylcarbazide. The method showed a precision of ±0.02 μg Cr/1. Chromium occurs in sea water in the 3+ oxidation state.     

Development of a procedure for studies of the chromium(III) and chromium(VI) contents of welding fumes

A method for speciation studies of chromium in welding fumes is described. Separation of chromium(III) and chromium(VI) in aqueous extracts of welding fumes is obtained by using anion- and cation-exchange resins. Atomic absorption spectrometry is used for quantification. At pH 3–5, there is no loss of chromium(III) as the hydroxide nor reduction of chromium(VI) by iron(II). Two types of welding fumes were studied: for ESAB OK 67–52 and AROSTA 316 L fumes, 57 and 91%, respectively, of the total chromium content was water-soluble; the total chromium contents were 5.9 and 4.4%, respectively. Chromium(III) was not detected in the aqueous extracts of either type of fumes (< 0.010 μg ml^-1 of extract).     

Separation and determination of chromium(VI) anions and chromium(III) associated with negatively charged colloids in river water by sorption on DEAE-Sephadex A-25

Summary Chromium(VI) anions, along with chromium(III) associated with negatively charged colloids, are sorbed on a macroreticular weak-base anion exchanger DEAE-Sephadex A-25 and then selectively desorbed by reduction with 5% (w/v) hydroxylammonium chloride solution for the determination by graphite-furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. The chromium concentration is increased 100-fold, allowing detection of chromium(VI) down to ca. 0.01 g/l. Chromium(III) associated with negatively charged colloids is also determined after desorption with 4 mol/l nitric acid.

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Trennung und Bestimmung von Chrom(VI)-Anionen und Chrom(III) in Verbindung mit negativ geladenen Kolloiden in Flußwasser durch Sorption an DEAE-Sephadex A-25

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Dedicated to Prof. Dr. G. Tölg on the occasion of his 60th birthday     

Determination of extractable chromium(VI) in the presence of large excess of chromium(III) in solid materials

Summary A method for the determination of chromium(VI) in solid materials with a Cr(VI) content at ppm level in the presence of ca. 10% Cr(III) has been devised. Chromium(VI) is extracted with 0.1M NaOH in a double-water bath (97° C) for 90 min. Differential-pulse polarography in 1M NaOH and spectrophotometry with 1,5-diphenylcarbazide have been tested for use in the final determination of Cr(VI). After extraction in the form of dithiocarbamate into methylisobutylketone or ethylacetate, chromium was determined by flame AAS and DPP in an organic extract.     

Preconcentration and x-ray spectrometric determination of arsenic(III/V) and chromium(III/VI) in water

The speciation of chromium and arsenic in their two common oxidation states is determined by the use of selective preconcentration and energy-dispersive x-ray spectrometry. Chromium(VI) and arsenic(III) are recovered by precipitation with dibenzyldithiocarbamate and filtration. Chromium(III) and arsenic(V) are determined in the filtrate by coprecipitation with hydrated iron(III) oxide. The chromium and arsenic content of each precipitate is determined by use of x-ray spectrometry.     

A study of adsorption characteristics of traces of chromium(III) and (VI) on selected surfaces

The adsorption losses of chromium(III) or (VI) on the walls of Pyrex, flint glass and polyethylene beakers have been investigated. Chromium(III) or (VI) solutions were stored in beakers at different hydrogen ion concentrations, and losses due to adsorption were measured at various contact times by counting the γ-ray activity from chromium-51 radiotracer. At pH 6.95, chromium(III) solutions showed the greatest instability, particularly in polyethylene beakers, where losses up to 25% were observed at the end of the 15-day contact period. Chromium(VI) showed a completely different pattern; losses less than 1% were observed at the end of 15 days on all the three types of containers.     

Preconcentration of chromium(III) and speciation of chromium by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry using cellulose adsorbent

A simple and sensitive method has been developed for species selective determination of chromium(III) and chromium(VI) in water by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry. The procedure is based on selective absorption of Cr(III) on a cellulose micro column (pH 11, 0.5 mol L(-1) NaCl). Total chromium was subsequently determined after appropriate reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III). Recoveries of more than 97% were found. A concentration factor of 100 was achieved. The relative standard deviations (n=10) at the 40 ng L(-1) level for chromium(III) and chromium(VI) were 2.3% and 1.8% and corresponding limits of detection (based on 36) were 1.8 ng L(-1) and 5.1 ng L(-1), respectively. No interference effects have been observed from other investigated species and the method has been successfully applied to natural water samples.     

Speciation of chromium in sea water

Dissolved chromium(III) and (VI) are coprecipitated separately from sea water, and chromium in the precipitates and particulate matter is determined by thin-film x-ray fluorescence spectrometry. In combination with an ultraviolet irradiation procedure whch releases bound metals, the method provides information about the speciation of chromium in near-shore surface sea water. The ratios of labile Cr(III)/(IIO+VI) generally lie in a narrow range (0.4–0.5) as do the sums of labile Cr(III) and (VI) concentrations (0.3–0.6 μg l^?1). Bound chromium is variable (0–3 μg l^?1) and constitutes from 0 to 90% of total dissolved chromium. Acidification of the samples in the traditional manner for trace metal determination is shown to alter the proportion of Cr(III) to Cr(VI).     

Rapid separation and determination of chromium

Chromium(III) is oxidized to chromium(VI) at room temperature or by conventional persulphate oxidation. The chromium(VI) is separated from other metal ions by retention on a small anion-exchange column, and then eluted with a perchlorate solution and measured spectrophotometrically with a flow-through cell. The method is rapid, selective and amenable to automation.     

Chemical speciation of chromium in sea water: Part 3. The determination of chromium species

A method for the determination of chromium(III), chromium(VI) and organicallybound chromium in sea water is reported. It is confirmed that sea water contains about 9 × 10^-9 M dissolved chromium. This is shown to be divided as ca. 15% inorganic Cr(III), ca. 25% inorganic Cr(VI) and ca. 60% organically-bound chromium. It is suggested that the inconsistency of earlier results on the dominant chromium species and its concentration in sea water is largely due to the fact that organically bound chromium species were not considered.     

Flow-injection configurations for chromium speciation with a single spectrophotometric detector

The simultaneous or sequential determination of chromium(VI) and total chromium in water by flow injection analysis, using different configurations with a double- or single-beam spectrophotometer as detector, is investigated. The method is based on reaction between chromium(VI) and 1,5-diphenylcarbazide. Chromium(III) and (VI) are distinguished by using two carrier streams, one of which contains cerium(IV) to oxidize chromium(III) to chromium(VI). The determination range is 0.2–10.0 μg Cr ml^?1; the r.s.d. is 0.8% for 1 μg Cr. The sampling frequency is 40 h^?1. A wide study of interferences is reported.     

Determination of chromium(III) and total chromium using dual channels on glass chip with chemiluminescence detection

A simple, rapid and sensitive method for the determination of chromium(III) and total chromium using the simple dual T channels on glass chip with negative pressure pumping system and chemiluminescence (CL) detection is presented. The CL reaction was based on luminol oxidation by hydrogen peroxide in basic aqueous solution catalyzed by chromium(III). Total chromium in form of chromium(III) was achieved after chromium(VI) was completely reduced by acidic sodium hydrogen sulfite. Total chromium could then be determined with the same strategy as the chromium(III). The CL reagent was composed of 1.0 × 10⁻⁴ mol/L luminol, 1.0 × 10⁻² mol/L hydrogen peroxide and 0.10 mol/L sodium bromide in 0.050 mol/L carbonate buffer (pH 11.00). The 1.0 × 10⁻² mol/L ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid was added into the sample solution in order to improve the selectivity. Chromium(III) could be detected at a notably concentration of 1.6 × 10⁻¹⁶ mol/L and a linear calibration curve was obtained from 1.0 × 10⁻¹⁵ to 1.0 × 10⁻¹³ mol/L. The sample and CL reagent consumption were only 15 and 20 μL, respectively. The analysis time was less than 1 min per sample with the precision (%R.S.D.) was 4.7%. The proposed method has been applied successfully to the analysis of river water, mineral waters, drinking waters and tap water. Its performance was verified by the analysis of certified total chromium-reference materials and by recovery measurement on spiked synthetic seawater sample.     

On-line preconcentration using dual mini-columns for the speciation of chromium(III) and chromium(VI) and its application to water samples as studied by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry

On-line preconcentration system for the selective, sensitive and simultaneous determination of chromium species was investigated. Dual mini-columns containing chelating resin were utilized for the speciation and preconcentration of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) in water samples. In this system, Cr(III) was collected on first column packed with iminodiacetate resin. Cr(VI) in the effluent from the first column was reduced to Cr(III), which was collected on the second column packed with iminodiacetate resin. Hydroxyammonium chloride was examined as a potential reducing agent for Cr(VI) to Cr(III).The effects of pH, sample flow rate, column length, and interfering ions on the recoveries of Cr(III) were carefully studied. Five millilitres of a sample solution was introduced into the system. The collected species were then sequentially washed by 1 M ammonium acetate, eluted by 2 M nitric acid and measured by ICP-AES. The detection limit for Cr(III) and Cr(VI) was 0.08 and 0.15 μg l⁻¹, respectively. The total analysis time was about 9.4 min.The developed method was successfully applied to the speciation of chromium in river, tap water and wastewater samples with satisfied results.     

Speciation studies by capillary electrophoresis- Simultaneous determination of chromium(III) and chromium(VI)

A method for the simultaneous determination of chromium(III) and chromium(VI) by capillary electrophoresis (CE) has been developed. The chromium(III) has been chelated with 1,2-cyclohexanediaminetetraacetic acid (CDTA) in order to impart a negative charge and similar mobility to both the chromium(III) and the chromium(VI) species. The effects of the amount of the reagent, pH and heating time required to complete the complexation have been studied. Factors affecting the CE behaviour such as the polarity of electrodes and the pH of electrophoretic buffer have been investigated. The separated species have been monitored by direct UV measurements at 214 nm. The detection limits achieved are 10 g/l for Cr(VI) and 5 g/l for Cr(III) and linear detector response is observed up to 100 mg/l. The procedure has been applied to the determination of both chromium species in industrial electroplating samples and its accuracy was checked by comparing the results (as total chromium) with those of atomic absorption spectrometry. No interference occurred from transition metal impurities under optimized separation conditions. The method is also shown to be feasible for determining Cr(III) as well as other metal ions capable to form complexes with CDTA (like iron(III), copper(II), zinc(II) and manganese(II)) in pharmaceutical preparations of essential trace elements.