Coprecipitation of lead and cadmium using copper(II) mercaptobenzothiazole prior to flame atomic absorption spectrometric determination

A coprecipitation method using a combination of 2-mercaptobenzothiazole (MBT) as a chelating reagent and copper as the coprecipitate carrier is described for the determination of trace lead and cadmium by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The coprecipitation conditions, such as the effect of pH, the amount of carrier element and reagent, standing time, sample volume and matrix effects were examined in detail. It was found that lead and cadmium are coprecipitated quantitatively (≥95%) with Cu(II)-MBT at pH 9 and that the relative standard deviations (n = 7) were ≤1.6%. When using the enrichment factors of 150-fold for lead and cadmium, the detection limits (3s/b) obtained are 1.08 for lead and 0.04 μg L⁻¹ for cadmium. The method was validated with spiked sea water, stream water, well water, and vegetable samples.     

Electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometric determination of cobalt, copper, lead and nickel traces in aragonite following flotation and extraction separation

A method of determination of Co, Cu, Pb and Ni in nanogram quantities from aragonite is presented. Flotation and extraction of Co, Cu, Pb and Ni is suggested as methods for elimination matrix interferences of calcium. The method of flotation is performed by iron(III) hexamethylenedithiocarbamate, Fe(HMDTC)(3), as a colloid precipitate collector. The liquid-liquid extraction of Co, Cu, Pb and Ni is carried out by sodium diethyldithiocarbamate, NaDDTC, as complexing reagent into methylisobutyl ketone, MIBK. The electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS) is used for determination of analytes. The detection limits of ETAAS followed by flotation are: 7.8 ng.g(-1) for Co, 17.1 ng.g(-1) for Cu, 7.2 ng.g(-1) for Pb and 9.0 mug.g(-1) for Ni. The detection limits of ETAAS followed by extraction are found to be: 12.0 ng.g(-1) for Co, 51.0 ng.g(-1) for Cu, 24.0 ng.g(-1) for Pb and 21.0 ng.g(-1) for Ni.     

New use of polypyrrole-chloride for selective preconcentration of copper prior to its determination of flame atomic absorption spectrometry

Polypyrrole-chloride was studied as a new sorbent for preconcentration of copper(II) using solid-phase extraction prior to determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The sorbent showed an extremely high selectivity towards copper(II) as an anionic chelate, i.e. Cu (pyrocatechol violet)₂²⁻ in the pH range of 4-7. Copper(II) as Cu (pyrocatechol violet)₂²⁻ was selectively retained on a column containing 1.0 g of polypyrrole-chloride and quantitatively eluted by 3 mL of 2.0 mol L⁻¹ nitric acid. The calibration graph was linear with a correlation coefficient of 0.999 at levels near the detection limit and up to at least 50 μg L⁻¹. When applied for preconcentration and determination of copper in tap water, waste water and hot spring water, the recoveries were found to be 96, 101 and 95%, respectively, with high precision (% relative standard deviation <4%) and low detection limit (0.87 μg L⁻¹). Verification of the accuracy was carried out by the analysis of a standard reference material (BCR 715 wastewater-SRM). The relative error was +3.33%. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of copper in tap water, waste water and hot spring water samples.     

On-line electrochemical preconcentration and flame atomic absorption spectrometric determination of manganese in urine samples

A sensitive and selective method was developed for the determination of traces of manganese in urine using on-line electrochemical preconcentration followed by flame atomic absorption spectrometry detection. A home made flow-through polypropylene cell (4.5 cm long × 0.8 cm diameter filled with glass marbles) with an effective inner volume of 0.5 ml containing a working and a counter electrode, both of glassy carbon and a Pt pseudo reference electrode was located in a flow injection manifold specially designed for the purpose of this work. The manganese was deposited from buffer solution of NH₃/NH₄Cl at pH 9.00 through an oxidizing process at a current of 400 mA during 7 min. A flow of HCl 0.1 mol l⁻¹ at 4 ml min⁻¹ through the cell, chemically dissolved the deposit. A small portion (15 μl) of the concentrate was introduced in a continuously flowing system by means of a timing device and was then carried to the detector for the manganese quantification. All electrochemical and spectroscopic variables as well as possible interferences in both systems were systematically studied. The relative standard deviations for ten consecutive measurements of manganese solutions of 2.0 and 20 μg l⁻¹ were of 2.3 and 1.5%, respectively, while for a sample processed five times was less then 5%. The accuracy of the developed procedure was evaluated by adding known amounts of manganese standard to urine samples and following the whole procedure. Recoveries within the range 97.2-102.8% were obtained. To further prove the accuracy, a Seronorm Trace Elements in Urine, Batch 403125 sample with a reported concentration of 13 μg Mn l⁻¹ was also analyzed. The experimental value obtained was of 12.7 ± 0.1 μg l⁻¹, which does not differ significantly from the reported amount (p < 0.05). A preconcentration factor of 40, a linear range between 0.015 and 60 μg l⁻¹ and a limit of detection of 15 ng l⁻¹ permitted the determination of manganese in real urine samples from non-exposed subjects in the range 0.5-2.8 μg l⁻¹.     

Selective cloud point extraction and preconcentration of trace amounts of silver as a dithizone complex prior to flame atomic absorption spectrometric determination

Dithizone (diphenylthiocarbazone) was used as a complexing agent in cloud point extraction for the first time and applied for selective preconcentration of trace amounts of silver. The analyte in the initial aqueous solution was acidified with sulfuric acid (pH<1) and Triton X-114 was added as a surfactant. After phase separation, based on the cloud point separation of the mixture, the surfactant rich phase was diluted with tetrahydrofuran (THF) and the analyte determined in the enriched solution by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. After optimization of the complexation and extraction conditions, a preconcentration factor of 43 was obtained for only 10 ml of sample. The analytical curve was linear in the range of 3-200 ng ml⁻¹ and the limit of detection was 0.56 ng ml⁻¹. The proposed method was applied to the determination of silver in water samples.     

Cloud point extraction and preconcentration of gold in geological matrices prior to flame atomic absorption determination

Brilliant green was used as a complexing agent in cloud point extraction (CPE) and applied for selective preconcentration of trace amounts of gold in geological matrices. The analyte in the initial aqueous solution was acidified with hydrochloric acid (0.1 M) and octylphenoxypolyethoxyethanol (Triton X-114) was added as a surfactant. After phase separation, based on the cloud point separation of the mixture, the surfactant rich phase was diluted with methanol and the analyte determined in the surfactant rich phase by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). After optimization of the complexation and extraction conditions, a preconcentration factor of 31 was obtained for only 10 mL of sample. The analytical curve was linear in the range of 3–1000 ng mL⁻¹ and the limit of detection was 1.5 ng mL⁻¹. The proposed method was applied to the determination of gold in geological samples.     

Coupling continuous ultrasound-assisted extraction, preconcentration and flame atomic absorption spectrometric detection for the determination of cadmium and lead in mussel samples

Continuous ultrasound-assisted extraction has been coupled with preconcentration and flame atomic absorption spectrometry for the determination of cadmium and lead in mussel samples. Experimental designs were used for the optimisation of the leaching and preconcentration steps. The use of diluted nitric acid as extractant in the continuous mode at a flow rate of 3.5 ml min⁻¹ and room temperature was sufficient for quantitative extraction of these trace metals. A minicolumn containing a chelating resin (Chelite P, with aminomethylphosphoric acid groups) was proved as an excellent material for the quantitative preconcentration of cadmium and lead prior to their flame atomic absorption detection. A flow injection manifold was used as interface for coupling the three analytical steps, which allowed the automation of the whole analytical process. A good precision of the whole procedure (2.0 and 2.3%), high enrichment factors (20.5 and 11.8) and a detection limit of 0.011 and 0.25 μg g⁻¹ for cadmium and lead, respectively, were obtained for 80 mg of sample. The sample throughputs were ca. 16 and 14 samples h⁻¹ for cadmium and lead, respectively. The accuracy of the analytical procedures was verified by using a standard reference material (BCR 278-R, mussel tissue) and the results were in good agreement with the certified values. The method was successfully applied to the determination of trace amounts of cadmium and lead in mussel samples from the coast of Galicia (NW, Spain).     

Application of simple,fast and eco-friendly ultrasound-assisted-cloud point extraction for pre-concentration of zinc,nickel and cobalt from foods and vegetables prior to their flame atomic absorption spectrometric determinations

In this study, a simple, fast and eco-friendly ultrasound-assisted-cloud point extraction method for extraction and pre-concentration of zinc, nickel and cobalt from vegetables and foods prior to their determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) was proposed. Ultrasound energy was used to shorten extraction time and reduce steps needed or to improve selectivity. The method is based on complex formation of metal ions with carmine in presence of cationic surfactant at pH 5.0, and then extraction of their hydrophobic complexes into the micellar phase of Igepal CO-630 as extractant. After optimisation, calibration curves for Zn, Co and Ni were linear in the range of 2–120, 2–220 and 2–180 μg kg^?1, respectively. Limits of detection, which is described as ratio of 3×standard deviation of 12 replicate measurements of blank analysis to slope of calibration curves, were 0.5, 0.6 and 0.6 μg kg^?1 for Zn, Ni and Co, respectively. Relative standard deviations (RSDs%, n: 5) for 25 μg kg^?1 of each analyte were less than 3.1%. The recovery rate was higher than 94% with a lower RSD than 3.1% for five replicate measurements of 25 μg kg^?1 of each analyte. The accuracy was verified using two different standard reference materials (SRM 1570a-Trace elements in spinach leaves and SRM 1548a-Typical diet), and the results were in good agreement with the certified values. The method was applied to the determinations of Zn, Ni and Co in vegetables and foods by FAAS.     

Cloud point preconcentration and flame atomic absorption spectrometric determination of Cd and Pb in human hair

Cloud point methodology has been successfully used for the preconcentration of trace amounts of Cd and Pb as a prior step to their determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. O,O-Diethyldithiophosphate and Triton X-114 are used as hydrophobic ligand and non-ionic surfactant, respectively. After phase separation at 40 °C based on cloud point of the mixture, the surfactant-rich phase is diluted with methanol. The enriched analyte in the final solution is determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry using conventional nebulization. After optimization of the complexation and extraction conditions, enhancement factors of 22 and 43 were obtained for Cd and Pb, respectively. Under the experimental conditions used, preconcentration of only 10 ml of sample in the presence of 0.05% (v/v) Triton X-114 permitted the detection of 0.62 μg l⁻¹ of Cd and 2.86 μg l⁻¹of Pb. The proposed method was applied to the determination of Cd and Pb in human hair samples.     

Simultaneous determination of free and EDTA-complexed copper ions by flame atomic absorption spectrometry with an ion-exchange flow-injection system

A simple method is described for the simultaneous determination of free and complexed copper ions in a flow-injection system comprising ion-exchange and flame atomic absorption spectrometry. Sampling rates for 400-μl samples were 90 h^?1. Typical relative standard deviations for the simultaneous determinations were 1.6% for the complexed metal (0.50 μg ml^?1) and 1.0% for the free metal (0.20 μg ml^?1).     

Direct atomic absorption spectrometric determination of copper,nickel and vanadium in coal and petroleum coke

The solid sampling technique is used to determine copper, nickel and vanadium in coals and a petroleum coke. The National Bureau of Standards SRM 1632a, Trace Elements in Coal, and aqueous solutions of the elements were employed as standards. The contents of copper, nickel and vanadium were in the ranges 1–17, 3–130 and 20–140 ppm, respectively.     

Flow-injection preconcentration and graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometric determination of platinum

Flow-injection graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometric (GFAAS) methods were worked out using oxime, sulphoxine and 2,2′-diamino-diethylamine (DEN) cellulose microcolumns for preconcentration of platinum after reduction by iodide or sulphite ions. The detection limits were, at 20-fold enrichment, 0.21, 0.18 and 0.30 μg l⁻¹, respectively. The total reflection X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (TXRF) was also used for the determination of platinum in eluates. The method was applied for the determination of platinum in salmeterol xinafoate and Ca-folinate pharmaceutical compounds. Decomposition of organic matrix of Ca-folinate was necessary before the preconcentration.     

浊点萃取-火焰原子吸收光谱法测定淡水鱼中痕量铅

采用以双硫腙为络合剂、Triton X-100为表面活性剂的新型浊点萃取体系富集淡水鱼中的痕量铅,并用火焰原子吸收光谱法对其进行测定。探讨了溶液pH、表面活性剂浓度、络合剂用量、平衡温度、平衡时间等对浊点萃取及测定灵敏度的影响,优化了实验条件。在最佳条件下测得铅的检出限为0.090μg/L,校准曲线相关系数为0.9999。该方法已用于淡水鱼中痕量铅的测定。     

Dithlzone extraction and flame atomic absorption spectrometry for the determination of cadmium,zinc, lead,copper, nickel,cobalt and silver in sea water and biological tissues

The method previously described for the determination of Cd, Zn, Cu, Ni and Co in sediments has been adapted for the determination of these metals, and lead and silver in sea water and biological tissues. For sea water the only treatment preceding extraction is pH adjustment; biological tissues are digested in nitric and perchloric acids and the residue taken up in dilute hydrochloric acid prior to pH adjustment and extraction. The method is sufficiently sensitive to allow Cd, Zn, Cu and Ni to be determined in all sea waters, Co and Ag in coastal waters, but Pb only in polluted water.     

On-line sequential injection dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction system for flame atomic absorption spectrometric determination of copper and lead in water samples

A simple, sensitive and powerful on-line sequential injection (SI) dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) system was developed as an alternative approach for on-line metal preconcentration and separation, using extraction solvent at microlitre volume. The potentials of this novel schema, coupled to flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS), were demonstrated for trace copper and lead determination in water samples. The stream of methanol (disperser solvent) containing 2.0% (v/v) xylene (extraction solvent) and 0.3% (m/v) ammonium diethyldithiophosphate (chelating agent) was merged on-line with the stream of sample (aqueous phase), resulting a cloudy mixture, which was consisted of fine droplets of the extraction solvent dispersed entirely into the aqueous phase. By this continuous process, metal chelating complexes were formed and extracted into the fine droplets of the extraction solvent. The hydrophobic droplets of organic phase were retained into a microcolumn packed with PTFE-turnings. A portion of 300 μL isobutylmethylketone was used for quantitative elution of the analytes, which transported directly to the nebulizer of FAAS. All the critical parameters of the system such as type of extraction solvent, flow-rate of disperser and sample, extraction time as well as the chemical parameters were studied. Under the optimum conditions the enhancement factor for copper and lead was 560 and 265, respectively. For copper, the detection limit and the precision (R.S.D.) were 0.04 μg L⁻¹ and 2.1% at 2.0 μg L⁻¹ Cu(II), respectively, while for lead were 0.54 μg L⁻¹ and 1.9% at 30.0 μg L⁻¹ Pb(II), respectively. The developed method was evaluated by analyzing certified reference material and applied successfully to the analysis of environmental water samples.     

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.     

Development of efficient method for preconcentration and determination of copper, nickel, zinc and iron ions in environmental samples by combination of cloud point extraction and flame atomic absorption spectrometry

A cloud point extraction procedure for the preconcentration of copper, nickel, iron and zinc ions in various samples has been described. Analyte ions in aqueous phase are complexed with 3-((indolin-3-yl)(phenyl)methyl)indoline (IYPMI) and following centrifugation quantitatively extracted to the aqueous phase rich in Triton X-114. The surfactant-rich phase was dissolved in 2.0 mol L⁻¹ HNO₃ in methanol prior to metal content determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). The effects of some parameters including, the concentrations of IYPMI, Triton X-114 and HNO₃, bath temperature, centrifuge rate and time were investigated on the recoveries of analyte ions. At optimum conditions, the detection limits of (3 SDb m⁻¹) of 1.6, 2.8, 2.1 and 1.1 ng mL⁻¹ for Cu²⁺, Fe³⁺, Ni²⁺ and Zn²⁺ along with preconcentration factors of 30 and enrichment factor of 48, 39, 34 and 52 for Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺, Fe³⁺ and Zn²⁺ respectively, were obtained. The proposed cloud point extraction has been successfully applied for the determination of metal ions in real samples with complicated matrix such as biological, soil and blood samples with high efficiency.      

Use of silica gel chemically modified with zirconium phosphate for preconcentration and determination of lead and copper by flame atomic absorption spectrometry

An analytical method using silica gel chemically modified with zirconium (IV) phosphate for preconcentration of lead and copper, in a column system, and their sequential determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS), was developed. Sample solutions are passed through a glass column packed with 100 mg of the sorbent material, at pH 4.5, and lead and copper are eluted with 1.0 mol l⁻¹ HNO₃ at a flow rate of 2.0 ml min⁻¹. The extraction of copper is affected by Fe(II), Mn(II), Zn(II), Ni(II) and Co(II) while only Fe(II) interferes in the lead determination. These interferences may be overcome with an appropriate addition of a KI or NaF solution. An enrichment factor of 30 was obtained for both metals. While the limits of detection (3σ) were 6.1 and 1.1 μg l⁻¹, for Pb and Cu, respectively, the limits of determination were 16.7 and 3.3 μg l⁻¹. The precision expressed as relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) obtained for 3.3 μg l⁻¹ of Cu and 16.7 μg l⁻¹ of Pb were 4.3 and 4.7%, respectively, calculated from ten measurements. The proposed method was evaluated with reference material and was applied for the determination of lead and copper in industrial and river waters.     

Continuous approach for ultrasound-assisted acid extraction-minicolumn preconcentration of chromium and cobalt from seafood samples prior to flame atomic absorption spectrometry.

A rapid and sensitive method has been proposed for the determination of chromium and cobalt in seafood samples by flame atomic absorption spectrometry combined with a dynamic ultrasound-assisted acid extraction and an on-line minicolumn preconcentration. The use of diluted nitric acid as extractant in a continuous mode at a flow rate of 3.5 mL min(-1) and room temperature was sufficient for quantitative extraction of these trace metals from seafoods. A minicolumn containing a chelating resin was an excellent device for the quantitative preconcentration of chromium and cobalt prior to their detection. A flow-injection manifold was used as interface for coupling all analytical steps, which allowed the automation of the whole analytical process. A Plackett-Burman experimental design was used as a multivariate strategy for the optimization of both sample preparation and preconcentration steps. The method was successfully applied to the determination of chromium and cobalt in seafood samples.