Solid phase extraction and graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometric determination of ultra trace amounts of bismuth in water samples

A simple and reliable method for the selective extraction and determination of bismuth in water as well as alloy samples using octadecyl bonded silica cartridge modified with cyanex 301 and graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry is described. Extraction efficiency and influence of sample matrix, optimum amount of extraction ligand, type and least amount of proper eluent and flow rates were evaluated. The limit of detection of the proposed method is 0.01 ng ml(-1). The influence of potential interfering cations in water samples on the recovery of bismuth was investigated. The method was successfully applied to the extraction and determination of bismuth in natural water and alloy samples.     

Monitoring of selenium in water samples using dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction followed by iridium-modified tube graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

A simple and powerful microextraction technique was used for determination of selenium in water samples using dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) followed by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GF AAS). DLLME and simultaneous complex formation was performed with rapid injection of a mixture containing ethanol (disperser solvent), carbon tetrachloride (extraction solvent) and ammonium pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (APDC, chelating agent) into water sample spiked with selenium. After centrifuging, fine droplets of carbon tetrachloride, which were dispersed among the solution and extracted Se-APDC complex, sediment at the bottom of the conical test tube. The concentration of enriched analyte in the sedimented phase was determined by iridium-modified pyrolitic tube graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. The concentration of selenate was obtained as the difference between the concentration of selenite after and before pre-reduction of selenate to selenite. Some effective parameters on extraction and complex formation, such as extraction and disperser solvent type and their volume, extraction time, salt effect, pH and concentration of chelating agent were optimized. Under the optimum conditions, the enrichment factor of 70 was obtained from only 5.00 mL of water sample. The calibration graph was linear in the range of 0.1-3 μg L^− 1 with detection limit of 0.05 μg L^− 1. The relative standard deviation (RSDs) for ten replicate measurements of 2.00 μg L^− 1 of selenium was 4.5%. The relative recoveries of selenium in tap, river and sea water samples at spiking level of 2.00 μg L^− 1 were 106, 96 and 98%, respectively.     

Selective extraction of traffic-related antimony compounds for speciation analysis by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

Most traffic-related antimony air pollutants are derived from brake dust. Brake dust contains Sb₂S₃, used as a friction material in brake pads, and its high-temperature oxidation products, Sb₂O₃ or Sb₂O₄. Systematic investigations were carried out to find the most selective leaching conditions for these substances. First, solubility experiments of the pure potential compounds mentioned above were carried out. Then, the leaching of these compounds from home-made artificial dusts previously spiked with these compounds at the trace level was investigated. A 0.5 mol L^?1 citric acid solution proved to leach the whole Sb₂O₃ content while extracting less than 10% Sb₂S₃ and no Sb₂O₄ at all. It was found that Sb₂O₃ and Sb₂S₃ traces were soluble in a 6 mol L^?1 HCl solution, quantitatively and selectively. Graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry and hydride generation graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry methods were developed to determine the Sb content of the extracts. The proposed method proved to be applicable to settled dust containing traffic-related Sb compounds. The detection limits were 1.2 and 0.3 μg g^?1 for leaching by citric acid and HCl solution, respectively, which were adequate for Sb content determination in the urban dust studied. The reproducibility of the method expressed as relative standard deviation was about 7%. The results showed that the concentration of leachable Sb was 40 μg g^?1 in the settled dust of Budapest, about half of which corresponded to Sb₂O₃. The Sb₂O₄ content calculated as the difference of total and leachable fraction was about 10% with high uncertainty.     

Determination of lead in water samples by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry after cloud point extraction

Cloud point extraction (CPE) has been used for the pre-concentration of lead, after the formation of a complex with 2-(5-bromo-2-pyridylazo)-5-(diethylamino)-phenol (5-Br-PADAP), and later analysis by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) using octylphenoxypolyethoxyethanol (TritonX-114) as surfactant. The chemical variables affecting the separation phase were optimized. Separation of the two phases was accomplished by centrifugation for 15 min at 4000 rpm. Under the optimum conditions i.e., pH 8.0, cloud point temperature 40 °C, [5-Br-PADAP] = 2.5 × 10⁻⁵ mol l⁻¹, [Triton X-114] = 0.05%, added methanol volume = 0.15 ml, pre-concentration of only 10 ml sample permitted an enhancement factor of 50-fold. The lower limit of detection (LOD) obtained under the optimal conditions was 0.08 μg l⁻¹. The precision for 10 replicate determinations at 5 μg l⁻¹ Pb was 2.8% relative standard deviation (R.S.D.). The calibration graph using the pre-concentration system for lead was linear with a correlation coefficient of 0.9984 at levels near the detection limits up to at least 30 μg l⁻¹. The method was successfully applied to the determination of lead in water samples.     

Determination of cadmium in water samples by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry after cloud point extraction

The formation of a complex with 2-(5-brom-2-pyridylazo)-5-(diethylamino)-phenol (5-Br-PADAP) and cloud point extraction have been applied to the preconcentration of cadmium followed by its determination by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) using octylphenoxypolyethoxyethanol (TritonX-114) as surfactant. The chemical variables affecting the separation were optimized. At pH 7.0, preconcentration of only 10 mL of sample in the presence of 0.05% TritonX-114 and 2.5 × 10⁻⁶ M 5-Br-PADAP enabled the detection of 0.04 μg/L cadmium. The enrichment factor was 21 for cadmium. The regression equation was A = 0.0439C(μg/L) + 7.2 × 10⁻³. The correlation coefficient was 0.9995. The precision for 10 replicate determinations at 10 μg/L Cd was 2.7% relative standard deviation (RSD). The proposed method has been applied to the determination of cadmium in water samples. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Determination of antimony in geochemical samples by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry using different matrix modifiers

Determination of antimony by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry using five different matrix modifiers, viz. nitric acid, copper, nickel, molybdenum and palladium, together with L'vov platform was studied. Without matrix modification, antimony was lost in a 1.2-M HCl solution when the thermal pretreatment temperature exceeded 700°C. By using 1.4 M HNO₃ or $\text{1μg}\text{20μl}$ copper solution the thermal pretreatment temperature could be increased up to 900°C. The matrix modification with $\text{2μg}\text{20μl}$ palladium, $\text{4μg}\text{20μl}$ molybdenum, or $\text{20μg}\text{20μl}$ nickel allowed the use of 1300°C as the pretreatment temperature. The best results were obtained with palladium when its concentration exceeded $\text{0.8μg}\text{20μl}$. Chemical interferences were studied with standard solutions spiked with different metal chlorides. The severe interference caused by iron chloride was avoided with ascorbic acid (2.5 %, $\text{w}\text{v}$). The method was tested on some geochemical reference samples.     

Aluminium determination in environmental samples by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry after solid phase extraction on Amberlite XAD-1180/pyrocatechol violet chelating resin

A chelating resin, pyrocatechol violet (PV) immobilised on an Amberlite XAD-1180 support, was prepared and its use for the atomic absorption spectrometric determination of aluminium was investigated. The XAD-1180-PV resin was characterised by infrared spectrometry and thermal gravimetric analysis. The optimum pH value for quantitative sorption is 8-9, and desorption can be achieved by using 5.0-10.0 ml of 2 M HCl. The effects of diverse ions on the sorption and recovery of aluminium have been studied. The capacity of sorbent was 6.45±0.59 mg g⁻¹ Al XAD-1180-PV. Recoveries for aluminium from water samples were in the range 95-105%. The accuracy of procedure was confirmed by aluminium determination in certified reference materials. The method developed was applied with varying results to the analysis of natural water, haemodialysis fluids and microwave digested red wine samples from Tokat City.     

Speciation analysis of inorganic vanadium (V(IV)/V(V)) by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry following ion-exchange separation

A sensitive and simple method of ion-exchange resin separation and graphite-furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) detection was proposed for the determination of inorganic vanadium species. Methylene Blue (MB) was used as a chelating agent of V(V) for ion-exchange separation. The complex of V(V) and MB could be trapped by ion-exchange resin at pH 3.0 and eluted by 1.0?mol?L^?1 NaOH. The vanadium species was determined subsequently by GFAAS. The concentration of V(IV) was calculated by subtracting the V(V) concentration from the total concentration of vanadium. Under the optimized experimental conditions, the detection limit of V(V) is 0.48?µg?L^?1 with RSD of 2.6% (n?=?5, c?=?2.0?µg?L^?1). In order to verify the accuracy of the method, a certified reference soil sample was analyzed, and the results obtained were in good agreement with the certified values. The range of recovery for V(IV) and V(V) was 97.8–99.3% and 101.7–103.6%, respectively. The proposed method was applied to the speciation analysis of vanadium in lake-water samples.     

Determination of antimony in wine by hydride generation graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

 A method was developed for the determination of Sb in wine by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry, based on preconcentration by hydride generation with collection directly in the graphite furnace. Thiourea was added for prereduction of Sb(V) to Sb(III). The hydride was directly generated from diluted wine. Palladium was used as modifier in the collection step; the overall efficiency of the hydride/trapping system was found to be 67%. Sb was determined in several samples of red wine; the concentrations found were in the range 0.6 to 5.7 μg/L Sb. The detection limit of the method was 39 pg Sb, corresponding to 0.13 μg/L Sb in wine when 0.3 mL wine was analyzed. Received: 3 November 1995/Revised: 22 February 1996/Accepted: 24 February 1996     

Determination of antimony in wine by hydride generation graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

 A method was developed for the determination of Sb in wine by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry, based on preconcentration by hydride generation with collection directly in the graphite furnace. Thiourea was added for prereduction of Sb(V) to Sb(III). The hydride was directly generated from diluted wine. Palladium was used as modifier in the collection step; the overall efficiency of the hydride/trapping system was found to be 67%. Sb was determined in several samples of red wine; the concentrations found were in the range 0.6 to 5.7 μg/L Sb. The detection limit of the method was 39 pg Sb, corresponding to 0.13 μg/L Sb in wine when 0.3 mL wine was analyzed. Received: 3 November 1995/Revised: 22 February 1996/Accepted: 24 February 1996     

Metal speciation by coupled in situ graphite furnace electrodeposition and electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

The technique of coupled in situ electrodeposition–electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ED–ETAAS) is applied to the analytes Bi, Pb, Ni and Cu. Bi, Pb, Ni and Cu are deposited quantitatively from their EDTA complexes at E_cell=1.75, 2.0, 3.0 and 2.5 V, respectively (E_cell=E_anode−E_cathode+iR). By varying the cell potential, selective reduction of free metal ions could be achieved in the presence of the EDTA complexes. For Bi³⁺ and Pb²⁺ this utilised the voltage windows E_cell=0.6–1.0 and 1.8–2.0 V, respectively. For Ni, deposition at E_cell=1.7–2.0 V achieved substantial, but not complete, differentiation between Ni²⁺ (ca. 90–100% deposition) and Ni(EDTA)²⁻ (ca. 12–20% deposition). An adequate voltage window was not obtained for Cu. The ability of ED–ETAAS to differentiate between electrochemically labile and inert species was demonstrated by application of both ED–ETAAS and anodic stripping voltammetry to the time-dependent speciation of Pb in freshly mixed Pb²⁺–NaCl media. Application to natural water samples is complicated by adsorption of natural organic matter to the graphite cathode.     

浊点萃取-石墨炉原子吸收光谱法测定水样中痕量铝

提出了浊点萃取石墨炉原子吸收光谱法测定痕量铝的新方法。探讨了溶液pH、试剂浓度等实验条件对浊点萃取及测定灵敏度的影响。在最佳条件下,富集40 mL样品溶液,用石墨炉原子吸收光谱法测定,铝的检出限为0.045μg/L,铝的富集倍率为78.5倍。方法适用于自来水、河水及海水中痕量铝的测定。     

Determination of inorganic selenium species in water and garlic samples with on-line ionic liquid dispersive microextraction and electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

A non-chromatographic separation and preconcentration method for Se species determination based on the use of an on-line ionic liquid (IL) dispersive microextraction system coupled to electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS) is proposed. Retention and separation of the IL phase was achieved with a Florisil^®-packed microcolumn after dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) with tetradecyl(trihexyl)phosphonium chloride IL (CYPHOS^® IL 101). Selenite [Se(IV)] species was selectively separated by forming Se-ammonium pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (Se-APDC) complex followed by extraction with CYPHOS^® IL 101. The methodology was highly selective towards Se(IV), while selenate [Se(VI)] was reduced and then indirectly determined. Several factors influencing the efficiency of the preconcentration technique, such as APDC concentration, sample volume, extractant phase volume, type of eluent, elution flow rate, etc., have been investigated in detail. The limit of detection (LOD) was 15 ng L⁻¹ and the relative standard deviation (RSD) for 10 replicates at 0.5 μg L⁻¹ Se concentration was 5.1%, calculated with peak heights. The calibration graph was linear and a correlation coefficient of 0.9993 was achieved. The method was successfully employed for Se speciation studies in garlic extracts and water samples.     

Condensation of analyte vapor species in graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

A shadow spectral digital imaging technique (SSDI) with charge coupled device (CCD) camera detection was used to investigate the spatial and temporal distribution of condensation clouds of analyte species generated in a graphite furnace during the atomization of 5–40-μg masses of metals. Complex, non-uniform structures of aerosol species located away from both the graphite tube axis and walls are prevalent. Species giving rise to observed signals are likely clusters of metals in the case of Ag, Au and Pd, and oxide aerosols for elements such as Al, Ca and Mg. Source scatter often arises during the atomization of relatively large masses of analytes (or during the atomization of real samples containing high concentrations of concomitant matrix species) in the graphite furnace due to such aerosol formation. The SSDI technique is an extremely useful aid to the elucidation of this phenomenon and imaging at several wavelengths using both line and continuum sources in combination with (thermal, incandescent) emission from these structures permits a more complete picture to be developed.     

Simultaneous speciation of inorganic arsenic and antimony in water samples by hydride generation-double channel atomic fluorescence spectrometry with on-line solid-phase extraction using single-walled carbon nanotubes micro-column

A new method was developed for the simultaneous speciation of inorganic arsenic and antimony in water by on-line solid-phase extraction coupled with hydride generation-double channel atomic fluorescence spectrometry (HG-DC-AFS). The speciation scheme involved the on-line formation and retention of the ammonium pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate complexes of As(III) and Sb(III) on a single-walled carbon nanotubes packed micro-column, followed by on-line elution and simultaneous detection of As(III) and Sb(III) by HG-DC-AFS; the total As and total Sb were determined by the same protocol after As(V) and Sb(V) were reduced by thiourea, with As(V) and Sb(V) concentrations obtained by subtraction. Various experimental parameters affecting the on-line solid-phase extraction and determination of the analytes species have been investigated in detail. With 180 s preconcentration time, the enrichment factors were found to be 25.4 for As(III) and 24.6 for Sb(III), with the limits of detection (LODs) of 3.8 ng L^− 1 for As(III) and 2.1 ng L^− 1 for Sb(III). The precisions (RSD) for five replicate measurements of 0.5 μg L⁻¹ of As(III) and 0.2 μg L⁻¹ of Sb(III) were 4.2 and 4.8%, respectively. The developed method was validated by the analysis of standard reference materials (NIST SRM 1640a), and was applied to the speciation of inorganic As and Sb in natural water samples.     

Liquid-phase microextraction combined with graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry: A review

An overview of the combination of liquid-phase microextraction (LPME) techniques with graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) is reported herein. The high sensitivity of GFAAS is significantly enhanced by its association with a variety of miniaturized solvent extraction approaches. LPME-GFAAS thus represents a powerful combination for determination of metals, metalloids and organometallic compounds at (ultra)trace level. Different LPME modes used with GFAAS are briefly described, and the experimental parameters that show an impact in those microextraction processes are discussed. Special attention is paid to those parameters affecting GFAAS analysis. Main issues found when coupling LPME and GFAAS, as well as those strategies reported in the literature to solve them, are summarized. Relevant applications published on the topic so far are included.     

Ultrasound-assisted emulsification-microextraction combined with flame atomic absorption spectrometry for determination of trace cadmium in water samples

The process of ultrasound-assisted emulsification-microextraction (USAEME) was successfully applied for the first time for the extraction and pre-concentration of trace cadmium from water samples, followed by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). In the proposed approach, sodium diethyldithiocarbamate trihydrate solution (NaDDTC·3H₂O) was used as a chelating agent and carbon tetrachloride was selected as extraction solvent. Some effective parameters on the microextraction and the complex formation were selected and optimized. These parameters included extraction solvent type as well as extraction volume, time, temperature, and pH, the amount of the chelating agent, and salt effect. Under optimum conditions, an enrichment factor of 95 was obtained from only 5.0 mL of water sample. The calibration graph was linear in the range of 10-600 μg L⁻¹ with a detection limit of 0.91 μg L⁻¹. The relative standard deviation (R.S.D) for ten replicate measurements of 50 and 500 μg L⁻¹ of cadmium were 2.56 and 1.62%. This proposed method was successfully applied in the analysis of four real environmental water samples and good spiked recoveries over the range of 96.5-101.7% were obtained.     

Speciation of chromium in river water samples contaminated with leather effluents by flame atomic absorption spectrometry after separation/preconcentration by cloud point extraction

In the present work, a cloud point extraction (CPE) system has been proposed for determination of species de chromium in the natural water samples, Cr(III) and Cr(VI). The procedure was based on the reaction of Cr(III) with 1-(2-pyridilazo)-2-naphtol (PAN) in a surfactant solution (Triton X-114) yielding a hydrophobic complex, which then is entrapped “in situ” in the surfactant micelles. When the temperature of the system was higher than the cloud point of Triton X-114, the complex of Cr(III)-PAN entered the surfactant-rich phase and thus separation of the analyte from the matrix was achieved. Separation of the two phases was accomplished by centrifugation for 15 min at 2500 rpm. The Cr(VI) assay is based on its reduction to Cr(III) by ascorbic acid which subsequently reacts with PAN in a similar manner. The main factors affecting the cloud point extraction, such as complexation pH (7.7), buffer concentration (0.025 mol L^{− 1}) and microwave irradiation time (10 min) were optimized by response surface methodology (RSM) using Box–Behnken design. Under the optimized conditions, the preconcentration system (50 mL sample) permitted an enrichment factor of 48, linear range of 2.5–80 μg L^{− 1}, limit of detection and quantification of 0.7 and 2.5 μg L^{− 1}, respectively, and the relative standard deviation (n = 10) of 2.0% for 50 μg L^{− 1} Cr(III) solution and (n = 10) 5.5% for 10 μg L^{− 1}. The proposed procedure was applied to the speciation of chromium in river water samples. The procedure affords recoveries of 84–115% and a relative standard deviation lower than 4.2%. The analytical results of total chromium in the river water samples under study agreed well with those by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ET AAS). It is proved that the procedure can be successfully employed as an alternative to the commonly used preconcentration and speciation analytical techniques.     

Determination of total inorganic arsenic in water using on-line pre-concentration and hydride-generation atomic absorption spectrometry

A rapid and sensitive method for the on-line separation and pre-concentration of inorganic arsenic in water samples is described. The analyte in the pentavalent oxidation state is reduced to its trivalent form with l-cysteine and the total inorganic arsenic is sorbed onto activated alumina in the acid form in a mini-column coupled to a FI-HG AAS system. Afterwards, it is eluted with 3 mol l⁻¹ HCl. An enrichment factor of 7 was obtained, allowing an analytical flow rate of about 28 determinations per hour. The limits of detection (3σ) and of quantification (10σ) were calculated as LOD = 0.15 μg l⁻¹ of As and LOQ = 0.5 μg l⁻¹ of As, respectively. Relative standard deviations (n = 10) less than 8% were obtained for different arsenic concentrations and the accuracy was verified by analysing certified reference materials. Different kinds of samples, such as mineral water, drinking water, river water and natural spring water were analyzed and good agreement was obtained with the values from spiked experiments.