Determination of soluble chromium in simulated PWR coolant by differential-pulse adsorptive stripping voltammetry

An analytical method has been developed for the determination of dissolved chromium at concentrations less than 2 mug/l. in PWR coolant by differential-pulse adsorptive stripping voltammetry at a hanging mercury drop electrode. Concentrations above 2 mug/l. can be determined by appropriate dilution of the sample. The method is based on measurement of the current associated with reduction of a chromium(III)-DTPA (diethylenetriaminepenta-acetic acid) complex adsorbed at the surface of the mercury drop. The effects of boric acid, pH, DTPA concentration, accumulation potential and time were investigated together with the oxidation state of the chromium. No interference was observed from other transition metal ions expected to be present in PWR coolant. No alternative chemical technique of similar sensitivity was available for comparison with the results obtained in solutions containing <1 mug/l. chromium. Recoveries from simulated coolant solutions were greater than 95% and the relative standard deviations for single determinations were in the range 12-25%. The statistical limit of detection at the 95% confidence level was 0.023 mug/l. This method of analysis should prove valuable in corrosion studies and is uniquely capable of following the changes in soluble chromium concentration in PWR coolant that follow operational changes in the reactor.     

Spectrophotometric determination of cobalt with 1-(2-pyridylazo)-2-naphthol and surfactants

A simple and highly selective spectrophotometric method for the determination of cobalt based upon the rapid reaction with PAN in the presence of surfactants and minute amounts of ammonium persulphate at pH 5.0 is described. The cobalt(III) chelate is made water-soluble by a neutral surfactant. Triton X-100, combined with sodium dodecylbenzene sulphonate (DBS). Iron(III), bismuth, tin(IV) and aluminium are masked with oxalate or citrate. Iron(II) must be absent. The other metal-PAN chelates, except that of nickel, are readily decomposed by EDTA. Up to 150 microg of nickel does not interfere. When larger amounts up to 625 microg are present, the absorbance can be corrected by measurements at two wavelengths. In a strongly acid medium (below pH 0.5) the nickel and other metal chelates are completely and instantaneously decomposed, while the cobalt(III) chelate remains unchanged. When, in place of EDTA, several ml of 6M hydrochloric acid are added after the colour development, nickel in quantities up to 1250 microg can be tolerated. A several hundredfold excess of zinc and manganese does not interfere. At 620 nm Beer's law is obeyed over the cobalt concentration range 0.4-3.2 microg/ml. The precision (95% confidence) is +/- 1.0 microg for 100 microg of cobalt. The molar absorptivity is 1.90 x 10(4) l. mole(-1) .cm(-1).     

Determination of transition metal ions in tobacco as their 2-(2-quinolinylazo)-5-dimethylaminophenol derivatives using reversed-phase liquid chromatography with UV-VIS detection

This paper reports the utilization of solid-phase extraction and the reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography for the determination of six important transition metal ions: iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc and manganese in tobacco with 2-(2-quinolinylazo)-5-dimethylaminophenol (QADMAP) as chelating reagent. Iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc and manganese ions react with QADMAP to form colored chelates in the medium of acetic acid-sodium acetate buffer solution (pH 4.0). These chelates can be enriched by solid-phase extraction with Waters Sep-Pak-C18 cartridge, and eluted the retained chelates from cartridge with tetrahydrofuran. The chelates were separated on a Waters Nova-Pak-C18 column (150x3.9 mm, 5 microm) by gradient elution with methanol (containing 0.5% of acetic acid) and 0.05 mol/l pH 4.0 acetic acid-sodium acetate buffer solution as mobile phase at a flow-rate of 0.5 ml/min. The detection limits of iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc and manganese are 10, 12, 8, 13, 17 and 22 ng/l, respectively. This method had been applied to the determination of iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc and manganese in tobacco with good results.     

A sensitive and simple extractive-spectrophotometric method for the determination of microgram amount of cobalt by using alpha-benzilmonoxime.

Alpha-benzilmonoxime has been used for the extraction and determination of cobalt at microgram amount. The reagent reacts with cobalt(II) in the pH range of 8.8 - 9.3 to form a yellow-color chelate, which is extracted in chloroform, toluene, and some other non-polar solvents. The chelate is stable in chloroform for about one day. Under the optimum conditions of the a-benzilmonoxime concentration and pH of 9.0, Beer's law was obeyed in the concentration range of 0.08 - 2.2 microg/ml cobalt. The molar absorptivity of the extracted species was 2.55 x 10(4) dm3/mol cm at 380 nm, with a detection limit of 0.01 microg/ml cobalt. Relative standard deviations of 0.4, 0.8 and 2.3% were found for the determination of cobalt concentrations of 2.2, 1.1 and 0.08 microg/ml, respectively. The effect of diverse ions on the determination of 1.00 microg/ml of cobalt has been studied. The method was applied to the determination of cobalt in vitamin B12 and B-complex ampoules, a Co2O3-Co3O4 laboratory chemical mixture and some synthetic alloy samples. The method is sensitive, simple, rapid and accurate.     

Cloud point extraction, preconcentration and simultaneous spectrophotometric determination of nickel and cobalt in water samples

Cloud point extraction has been used for the preconcentration and simultaneous spectrophotometric determination of nickel and cobalt after the formation of a complex with 2-amino-cyclopentene-1-dithiocarboxylic acid (ACDA), and latter analysis by spectrophotometer using Triton X-114 as surfactant. The parameters affecting the separation phase and detection process were optimized. Under the optimum experimental conditions (i.e. pH=5, 0.07 mM ACDA, Triton X-114=0.25% (w/v)), calibration graphs were linear in the range of 20-500 and 20-200 microg l(-1) with detection limits of 10 and 7.5 microg l(-1) for Ni and Co, respectively. The method was applied to the determination of Ni and Co in natural and waste water samples with satisfactory results.     

Spectrophotometric determination of nickel with p-acetylarsenazo

A spectrophotometric method for the determination of trace amounts of nickel is described. At pH 6, nickel reacts with p-acetylarsenazo to form a 1:2 coloured complex with an absorption maximum at 630 nm. The apparent molar absorptivity is 6.5 x 10(4) l.mol(-1) . cm(-1) . Beer's law is obeyed over the concentration range of 0-0.8 microg/ml. The proposed method is selective, sensitive and can be applied to the determination of nickel in aluminum alloy.     

Chromotropic acid-functionalized polyurethane foam: A new sorbent for on-line preconcentration and determination of cobalt and nickel in lettuce samples

A chromotropic acid-functionalized polyurethane foam has been developed for use in an on-line preconcentration system for cobalt and nickel determination. The packing material was prepared by covalent coupling of chromotropic acid with the polyurethane foam through an azo group. Co and Ni ions were sorbed in the mini-column, from which they could be eluted directly to the nebulizer-burner system of a flame atomic absorption spectrometer. Elution of cobalt and nickel from the mini-column can be accomplished with 0.50 and 0.75 M HCl solutions, respectively. The enrichment factors obtained were 22 (Co) and 27 (Ni), for 60 s preconcentration time, and 57 (Co) and 59 (Ni), if a preconcentration time of 180 s was used. Under the optimum conditions, the proposed procedure allowed the determination of metals with detection limits of 0.43 (cobalt) and 0.52 microg/L (nickel), respectively, on using preconcentration periods of 180 s. The accuracy of the developed procedure was evaluated by analysis of the certified reference materials NIST 1515 Apple Leaves and NIST 1570a Spinach Leaves. The method was applied to the analysis of lettuce samples. The contents of cobalt in the samples analyzed varied from 0.75 to 0.98 microg/g. Nickel was not detected in the lettuce samples.     

Simultaneous voltammetric determination of cobalt, nickel and labile zinc, using 2-quinolinethiol in the presence of surfactants without prior digestion

2-Quinolinethiol forms very stable cobalt and nickel complexes, which are strongly chemisorbed on the hanging mercury drop electrode (HMDE). This allows the simultaneous determination of cobalt, nickel and labile zinc traces; Co and Ni by differential pulse adsorptive stripping voltammetry (DPAdSV) and Zn by differential pulse sweep voltammetry (DPSV), even in the presence of a large amount of surfactant like Triton X-100. This is advantageous for determining these metals directly in natural waters, without previous UV-irradiation or acid digestion. The surfactant does not only not interfere, but shows a beneficial effect with respect to the resolution between copper and nickel peaks. The method has been tested in estuary waters. The determination limits are 1 nmol/l Ni, 10 nmol/l Co and 1 mol/l Zn, with RSD less than 6.3%.     

Determination of Ni and Co using 2-quinolinethiol by adsorptive voltammetry

Summary A new method for the simultaneous determination of cobalt and nickel has been developed by differential pulse adsorptive voltammetry using 2-quinolinethiol as chelate. A separation of the two peaks by 0.3 V was achieved, allowing the determination of the two metals in a wide range of concentrations. The influence of pH, nature of the supporting electrolytes, preconcentration time and applied potential was investigated. Pb, Cd, Fe, Zn and Cr do not interfere. The determination limits were 10^–8 mol/l for Co and 10^–9 mol/l for Ni. The method was applied to mussel tissues and wines.     

Speciation and analysis of corrosion products in the primary coolant of pressurized water reactors

The procedure involves separate sampling and determination of the insoluble, cationic and anionic species of corrosion products (Fe, Ni, Cr, Mn, Co, Zn, Cu) in the primary coolant of pressurized water reactors (PWRs) with concentrations in the range 0–2000 mg l^?1 boron and 0–5 mg l^?1 lithium. Samples of coolant (0.2–1 l) are passed through packs consisting of one 0.45-μm filter paper, one cation-exchange membrane (Whatman SA-2) and one anion-exchange membrane (Whatman SB-2). The membranes are examined by wavelength-dispersive x-ray spectrometry. Selection of the ion-exchange membranes and the influence of the boron and lithium concentrations (and pH) on retention of soluble species are discussed. With sample volumes of 0.5 l, the detection limits are between 0.05 and 0.3 μg l^?1 for undissolved species and from 0.03 to 0.14 μg l^?1 for ions. Data collected during a PWR shutdown procedure are summarized.     

Extractive spectrophotometric determination of Cobalt(II) in synthetic and pharmaceutical samples using Cyanex 923.

Cyanex 923 has been proposed as a sensitive analytical reagent for the direct extractive spectrophotometric determination of cobalt(II). Cobalt(II) forms a blue-colored complex with Cyanex 923 in the organic phase. The maximum absorbance of the complex is measured at 635 nm. Beer's law was obeyed in the range 58.9 - 589.0 microg of cobalt. The molar absorptivitiy and Sandell's sensitivity of the complex was calculated to be 6.79 x 10920 l mol(-1) cm(-1) and 0.088 microg cm(-2), respectively. The nature of the extracted species was found to be Co(SCN)2 x 2S. An excellent linearity with a correlation coefficient value of 0.999 was obtained for the Co(II)-Cyanex 923 complex. Stability and regeneration of the reagent (Cyanex 923) for reuse is the main advantage of the present method. The method was successfully applied to the determination of cobalt in synthetic mixtures and pharmaceutical samples was found to give values close to the actual ones. Standard alloy samples, such as high-speed tool BCS 484 and 485, have been tested for the determination of cobalt for the purpose of validating the present method. The results of the proposed method are comparable with atomic absorption spectrometry and were found to be in good agreement.     

The simultaneous spectrophotometric determination of nickel and cobalt in mixtures with 3-hydroxypicolinealdehyde azine

The properties of the nickel complex of 3-hydroxypicolinealdehyde azine are described (λ_max = 480 nm, ? = 4.2· 10⁴ l mol^-1 cm^-1). The optimal conditions for a selective and sensitive spectrophotometric determination of nickel are discussed. The absorption spectra of the nickel and cobalt (II) complexes of 3-hydroxypicolinealdehyde azine are sufficiently different to permit the simultaneous spectrophotometric determination of both ions when the absorbances are measured at 480 nm and 540 nm. Mixtures containing nickel and cobalt in ratios from 0.1 to 10 can be analysed. The method has been applied to process catalysts on alumina supports.     

Determination of cobalt and nickel by graphite-furnace atomic absorption spectrometry after coprecipitation with scandium hydroxide.

Trace amounts of cobalt and nickel in a water sample were quantitatively coprecipitated with scandium hydroxide at pH 8.0-10.5. Because the coprecipitant could be easily dissolved with 1 mol dm(-3) nitric acid, and the presence of up to 10 mg cm(-1) of scandium did not interfere with the graphite-furnace atomic absorption spectrometric determination of cobalt and nickel, the volume of the final solution prepared for the determination could be minimized down to 0.5 cm3. The concentration factor was 400-fold and the detection limits (signal to noise = 2) were 5.0 pg cm(-3) of cobalt and 10.0 pg cm(-3) of nickel in 200 cm3 of the initial sample solution. The 27 diverse ions investigated did not interfere with the determination in at least a 500-fold mass ratio to cobalt or nickel. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of trace amounts of cobalt and nickel in river-water samples.     

Monitoring of estrogens, pesticides and bisphenol A in natural waters and drinking water treatment plants by solid-phase extraction-liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

A multi-residue analytical method has been developed for the determination of various classes of selected endocrine disruptors. This method allows the simultaneous extraction and quantification of different estrogens (estradiol, estrone, estriol, estradiol-17-glucuronide, estradiol diacetate, estrone-3-sulfate, ethynyl estradiol and diethylstilbestrol), pesticides (atrazine, simazine, desethylatrazine, isoproturon and diuron), and bisphenol A in natural waters. In the method developed, 500 ml of water are preconcentrated on LiChrolut RP-18 cartridges. Further analysis is carried out by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) using atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation (APCI) in the positive ion mode for determination of pesticides and electrospray in the negative ionisation mode for determination of estrogens and bisphenol A. Recoveries for most compounds were between 90 and 119%, except for bisphenol A (81%) and diethylstilbestrol (70%), with relative standard deviations below 20%. Limits of detection ranged between 2 and 15 ng/l. The method was used to study the occurrence of the selected pollutants in surface and groundwater used for abstraction of drinking water in a waterworks and to evaluate the removal efficiency of the different water treatments applied. Water samples from the river, the aquifer, and after each treatment stage (sand filtration, ozonation, activated carbon filtration and post-chlorination) were taken monthly from February to August of 2002. The presence in river water of atrazine, simazine, diuron and bisphenol A were relatively frequent at concentrations usually below 0.1 microg/l. Lower levels, below 0.02 microg/l, were usual for isoproturon. Estrone-3-sulfate and estrone were detected occasionally in the river. Most of the compounds were completely removed during the water treatment, especially after activated carbon filtration.     

Determination of nickel with 2-(2-quinolylazo)-5-diethylaminoaniline as a chromogenic reagent.

A sensitive, selective and rapid method for the determination of nickel based on a rapid reaction of nickel(II) with 2-(2-quinolylazo)-5-diethylaminoaniline (QADEAA) has been developed. In the presence of pH = 6.0 ammonia-ammonium chloride buffer solution and sodium dodecyl sulfonate (SDS) medium, QADEAA reacts with nickel to form a violet complex having a molar ratio of 1:2 (nickel to QADEAA). The molar absorptivity of the complex is 1.38 x 10(5) l mol(-1) cm(-1) at 595 nm. Beer's law is obeyed in the range of 0.01-0.4 microg/ml. This method had been applied to the determination of nickel with good results.     

Selective determination of cobalt using polyurethane foam and 2-(2-benzothiazolylazo)-2-p-cresol as a spectrophotometric reagent

The present work describes a selective, rapid and economical method for the determination of cobalt using the 2-(2-benzothiazolylazo)-p-cresol (BTAC) as a spectrophotometric reagent associated with a solid extraction on polyurethane foam. The BTAC reacts with Co(II) in the presence of Triton-X100 surfactant forming a green complex with maximum absorption at 615 nm. The reaction is used for cobalt determination within a pH range of 6.50-7.50, with an apparent molar absorptivity of 1.62 x 10(4) L mol(-1) cm(-1). Beer's Law is obeyed for a concentration of at least 1.60 microg ml(-1). A selective procedure is proposed for cobalt determination in the presence of Fe(II), Hg(II), Zn(II) and Cu(II) up to milligram levels using masking agents. Polyurethane foam is used for the preconcentration and separation of cobalt from thiocyanate media and this procedure is applied to its determination in nickel salts and steel alloys.     

Flame atomic absorption spectrometric determination of trace amounts of nickel after extraction and preconcentration onto natural modified analcime zeolite loaded with 2-(5-bromo-2-pyridylazo)-5-diethylaminophenol

Nickel is a moderately toxic element compared with other transition metals. However, inhalation of nickel and its compounds leads to serious problems, including cancer of the respiratory system and a skin disorder, nickel-eczema. Thus, attention has focused on the toxicity of nickel at low concentrations, and the development of reliable, analytical approaches for the determination of trace amounts of nickel is needed. This paper describes a simple, rapid, and sensitive flame atomic absorption spectrometric method for the determination of trace amounts of nickel in various samples after adsorption of its 2-(5-bromo-2-pyridylazo)-5-diethylaminophenol complex on a modified Analcime column in the pH range of 7.5-10.5. The retained analyte on the Analcime is recovered with 5.0 mL 2 M nitric acid and determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The detection limit is 20 ng/mL, and the calibration curve is linear for analyte concentrations in the range of 0.1-8 microg/mL final solution, with a correlation coefficient of 0.9993. Eight replicate determinations of nickel at 2 microg/mL in the final solution gave an absorbance of 0.1222, with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of +/-1.2%. The interference of a large number of anions and cations was studied, and the proposed method was used for the determination of nickel in various standard reference samples. The accuracy of the proposed method was evaluated by analyzing standard reference samples, and the results were satisfactory (recoveries of >96%; RSD of <3.5%).     

Spectrophotometric determination of nickel in vegetable oil with ammonium 2-amino-1-cyclohexene-1-dithiocarboate

The reaction between nickel and ammonium 2-amino-1-cyclohexene-1-dithiocarboate in aqueous acetone medium at pH 3.0-8.0 results in a stable dark red complex. The ratio of reagent to nickel in the complex is 2:1 and the formation constant is 7.38 +/- 0.12 x 10(10). Beer's law is obeyed up to 4 microg/ml nickel at the absorption maximum at 535 nm. The apparent molar absorptivity is 2.8 x 10(4) l.mole(-1). cm(-1), and the detection limit is 10 ng/ml nickel. The method is applied to the determination of nickel in vegetable oil.     

Derivative spectrophotometric determination of nickel using Br-PADAP

A major problem with spectrophotometric methods for nickel is cobalt interference, because many of the reagents for nickel also react with cobalt. In this work, the interference of cobalt in the determination of nickel using 2-(5-bromo-2-pyridylaxo)-5-diethylaminophenol (Br-PADAP) was eliminated by the use of derivative spectrophotometry, using the zero-crossing method for evaluation of the derivative signal. Br-PADAP reacts with nickel(II) in the presence of Triton X-100 to form a red complex with absorption maxima at 530 and 562 nm. The reactions parameters and the conditions for the measurements of the first-derivative signal were studied and the results demonstrated that using the derivative technique, Br-PADAP can be used for nickel determination with a selectivity higher than that of ordinary spectrophotometry and with a limit of detection of 0.2 ng ml(-1). The pH should be in the range 5.0-6.0 using an acetate buffer. The determination of nickel in the presence of cobalt was performed with conventional and derivative procedures, and the results demonstrated that only the derivative method should be used and, of the methods used for evaluation of the derivative signal, the zero-crossing method is the best. The proposed procedure was used for nickel determination in steels standards. The results demonstrated that the procedure has satisfactory accuracy and precision. Cobalt interference can be also eliminated by using dual-wave-length spectroscopy.     

Determination of manganese,iron, cobalt and nickel in air and water by atomic absorption spectroscopy

Flames of 4 different kinds and of various compositions were studied for their suitability for atomic absorption spectroscopy for the determination of manganese, iron, cobalt and nickel. The effects of various other factors such as lamp current, slit-width and position of the burner were also investigated. Interference effects of a large number of ions and compounds were studied. Very few ions were found to interfere and means of eliminating the interferences noted are described. As a result of the investigation, sensitive and selective procedures for the determination of manganese, iron, cobalt and nickel are reported. Sensitivities are Mn, 0.01 mg/l; Fe, 0.05 mg/l; Co, 0.03 mg/l and Ni, 0.02 mg/l for 1% absorption.