Substoichiometric radioactivation analysis for ytterbium

The substoichiometric separation of Yb(III) can be achieved by the extraction of a substoichiometric amount of thenoyltrifluoroacetone and an excess amount of phenanthroline in benzene. The appropriate pH range for the substoichiometric extraction is 6–8. The reproducibility of the substoichiometric extraction of Yb(III) is very good as RSD 1%. As an example, Yb in a manganese nodule is determined by the substoichiometry combined with the radioactivation analysis. The content of Yb is 17.63±0.23 g/g. The present procedure can be applied to the determination of other rare earth elements.     

Substoichiometric Isotope Dilution Analysis for the Determination of Iron in Biological Materials and Comparison with Substoichiometric Isotope Dilution Mass Spectrometry

Substoichiometric isotope dilution analysis for the determination of trace iron has been studied by using synergistic extraction of iron(III) with a substoichiometric amount of 4-isopropyltropolone (Hipt) in the presence of an excess of 3,5-dichlorophenol (DCP) in heptane. Optimum conditions for the substoichiometric extraction of iron(III) in g to sub-g levels were examined and the high selectivity for iron(III) toward various metal ions encountered in the analysis of biological materials was confirmed. The present method was applied to a biological reference material (NIES, CRM No.9, sargasso) without any pre-separation and was successfully evaluated. Furthermore, substoichiometric stable isotope dilution mass spectrometry using the present extraction method was also used with the above sample. Applicability and practicability was compared for both substoichiometric methods.     

Substoichiometric speciation for inorganic arsenic and methylated arsenic and its application to samples of marine organisms

A substoichiometric isotope-dilution method is described for the determination of monomethylarsonate, MeAs(V), and dimethylarsinate, Me₂As(V). After the separation of MeAs(V) and Me₂As(V) by extraction as their iodides into benzene, these methylated arsenic species are complexed with a substoichiometric amount of diethyldithiocarbamate in benzene, and the uncomplexed methylarsenic species are removed. The relative standard deviations for the substoichiometric extraction of MeAs(V) and Me₂As(V) are 0.55% and 1.1%, respectively. This substoichiometric speciation of methylated arsenic together with an earlier substoichiometric method for speciation of inorganic arsenic species was applied to the speciation of arsenic in an acid-digested solution of a macro-algae sample. It was demonstrated that almost all the arsenic in this solution was Me₂As(V) even after the digestion with nitric acid.     

Substoichiometric isotope dilution analysis for uranium by synergic extraction

Substoichiometric extraction of uranyl ion in a synergic system of a chelating reagent and a neutral ligand is described. The system is based on a substoichiometric amount of 2-thenoyltrifluoroacetone (TTA) and an excess of tributylphosphate (TBP); this is compared with a system involving a substoichiometric amount of trioctylphosphine oxide and an excess of TTA. The reproducibility of the substoichiometric extraction is 0.46 or 0.62%, respectively. The former method is superior because extraction of uranyl ion with TBP alone is negligible. The method is applicable to > ca. 10 μg of uranium.     

Substoichiometric determination of manganese in a synergistic extraction system and its application to the analysis of biological materials

The substoichiometric isotope dilution analysis for manganese(II) in a synergistic extraction system of a chelating agent and a neutral ligand is described. The substoichiometric extarction is based on a substoichiometric amount of 2-thenoyltrifluoroacetone and an excess of 1,10-phenanthroline. The recommended condition and the reproducibility of the present system were examined. The present method was applied for NBS-SRM tomato leaves and NIES-SRM chlorella, and very good results with high accuracy and precision were demonstrated.     

Selective substoichiometry for inorganic arsenic(V) by ion-pair extraction with pyrogallol/tetraphenyl-arsnium chloride and its application in the analysis of seaweed

Arsenic(V) is substioichiometrically extracted from 0.4–3 M sulfuric acid solutions into 1,2-dichloroethane with 1.0 × 10^?5 M teraphenylarsnium chloride in the presence of 2.0 × 10^?1 M pyrogallol. Reproducibility of the substoichiometric extractions with a constant amount of tetraphenylarsonium chloride is high (0.5% RSD). This substiochiometric extraction is very selective for arsenic(V) from arsenic(III), monomethylarsonic acid, and dimethylarsinic acid. The extraction combined with the isotope dilution principle was applied to the determination of arsenic(V) in an acid-digestd solution of a seaweed sample (Laminaria religiosa Miyabe) and to the determination of total arsenic in this sample.     

Substoichiometry in neutron activation analysis technique

Neutron activation analysis has become one of the most sensitive and selective analytical technique for the determination of trace elements in a wide variety of matrices. Neutron activation involves the irradiation of the test sample and a standard of the element to be determined with thermal neutrons in a reactor, followed by dissolution of the test sample in the presence of carrier of the element to be determined. The carrier and radioisotopes are separated from the bulk of other induced activities (employing precipitation, solvent extraction, ion exchange etc.) and then the activity induced in the sample is measured on a suitable detector. The standard is treated identically. From the ratios of the activity of the sample and standard and the weight of the standard irradiated, the concentration of element in the test sample is calculated. A rapid, selective and sensitive method of radiochemical separation is subtoichiometric extraction in which the same amount of carrier is added to the irradiated test sample and standard. Exactly the same amount of reagent is added to both the sample and standard but in substoichiometric amounts, followed by the separation of the species formed by extracting it with an organic solvent. The activities of the extracts are measured. The amount of element present in the sample is calculated with help of the ratio of the activities and the weight of the standard taken. The advantages of the method are discussed. Application of substoichiometry in neutron activation has been elucidated with reference to the determination of Au in various samples by substoichiometric neutron activation analysis.     

Determination of trace elements in various materials by activation analysis

Recent works on the trace analysis of various materials by activation analysis are summarized. INAA and IPAA are applied for the multielement determination of various standard reference materials and electronic materials. As an example, the analytical results of pepperbush and fluoride glass are shown. In activation analysis using chemical separation, the destructive neutron activation analysis coupled with isotope addition technique is presented and applied to the determination of trace impurities in indium phosphide. Selective substoichiometry and substoichiometric separagtions of some elements are also introduced.     

Determination of extraction constants for metal pyrrolidinedithiocarbamates and chloride-mixed metal pyrrolidinedithiocarbamates by substoichiometric extraction

Substoichiometric extraction in conjunction with a double tracer technique is employed to simultaneous determination of extraction constants of simple metal pyrrolidinedithiocarbamates and chloride-mixed metal pyrrolidinedithiocarbamates. The metals involved include Hg(II), Bi(III), In(III), As(III), Cd(II) and Fe(II). The extraction constants for Bi(III) and Cd(II) obtained are compared with the values available in the literature. The extraction constants for all the other metals are reported for the first time.     

Hollow fiber liquid phase microextraction combined with electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry for the speciation of arsenic (III) and arsenic (V) in fresh waters and human hair extracts

A new method of hollow fiber liquid phase microextraction (HF-LPME) using ammonium pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (APDC) as extractant combined with electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS) using Pd as permanent modifier has been described for the speciation of As(III) and As(V). In a pH range of 3.0-4.0, the complex of As(III)-APDC complex can be extracted using toluene as the extraction solvent leaving As(V) in the aqueous layer. The post extraction organic phase was directly injected into ETAAS for the determination of As(III). To determine total arsenic in the samples, first As(V) was reduced to As(III) by l-cysteine, and then a microextraction method was performed prior to the determination of total arsenic. As(V) assay was based on subtracting As(III) form the total arsenic. All parameters, such as pH of solution, type of organic solvent, the amount of APDC, stirring rate and extraction time, affecting the separation of As(III) from As(V) and the extraction efficiency of As(III) were investigated, and the optimized extraction conditions were established. Under optimized conditions, a detection limit of 0.12 ng mL⁻¹ with enrichment factor of 78 was achieved. The relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) of the method for five replicate determinations of 5 ng mL⁻¹ As(III) was 8%. The developed method was applied to the speciation of As(III) and As(V) in fresh water and human hair extracts, and the recoveries for the spiked samples are 86-109%. In order to validate the developed method, three certified reference materials such as GBW07601 human hair, BW3209 and BW3210 environmental water were analyzed, and the results obtained were in good agreement with the certified values provided.     

Redox substoichiometric determination of arsenic in biological materials by neutron activation analysis

A redox substoichiometry is proposed for an accurate and precise determination of arsenic. This method is based on the substoichiometric oxidation of trivalent arsenic to pentavalent with potassium bromate or ceric sulfate followed by the separation of these species by thionalide extraction of trivalent arsenic. It was applied to neutron activation analysis of arsenic in the NBS SRM Orchard Leaves and the Shark Powder. The results were obtained with an excellent accuracy and precision.     

Substoichiometric separation in activation analysis: extraction of co-ordinatively-unsolvated salts

The necessary conditions have been examined for the use of extraction of coordinatively-unsolvated salts for substoichiometric separations in activation analysis, especially the influence of interfering ions and of the concentration of the carrier. A study has been made of the substoichiometric extraction of halide ions, oxyanions and anionic metal complexes by means of the tetraphenylarsonium ion into chloroform and dichloroethane, and of the extraction of alkali metal ions into nitrobenzene with tetraphenylborate. Substoichiometric extraction can be combined with neutron-activation analysis for the determination of traces of iodine, caesium, rubidium, manganese, rhenium, chromium, thallium, gold, gallium and tantalum.     

Radiometric analysis based on redox substoichiometry I. Principles and application for the determination of tellurium

A radiometric method based on the redox substoichiometry has been developed for the determination of tellurium. The oxidation of tellurium(IV) to tellurium(VI) with potassium dichromate was employed as the substoichiometric reaction, followed by TBP (tributyl phosphate) extraction of the unreacted tellurium(IV) as the substoichiometric isolation. The oxidation of tellurium(IV) with dichromate under the substoichiometric conditions was incomplete. The chemical yield of tellurium(VI) produced by the oxidation of tellurium(IV) with dichromate was 83%. It was found that a tellurium content of 50 to 160 g could be determined with an accuracy of ±1.3% by means of the comparison method.     

Speciation of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) using solid phase extraction and determination of total As inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry

An inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometric (ICP-AES) method was developed for speciation and simultaneous determination of Cr and As, since these two analytes are commonly determined in various water samples in order to assess their toxicity. The objective of this research was to study the speciation of Cr(III), Cr(VI) in the presence of As(III) and/or As(V) using solid phase extraction (SPE) and ICP-AES. For these measurements, four spectral lines were used for each analyte with the purpose of selecting the most appropriate for each element. Finally with the use for first time of a cation-exchange column filled with benzosulfonic acid and elution with HCl, the speciation in solutions which contained [Cr(III)?+?Cr(VI)?+?As(V)] and [Cr(III)?+?Cr(VI)?+?As(III)] was examined. It was demonstrated that the separation of the two chromium species is almost quantitative and the simultaneous determination of chromium species and total arsenic analytes is possible, with very good performance characteristics. The estimated limits of detection for Cr(III), Cr(VI), As(III) and/or As(V) were 0.9?µg?L^?1, 1.1 µg?L^?1, 4.7 µg?L^?1 and 4.5 µg?L^?1 respectively, the calculated relative standard deviations (RSDs) were 3.8%, 4.1%, 5.2% and 5.1% respectively, and finally the accuracy of the methods was estimated using a certified aqueous reference material and found to be 5.6% and 4.8% for Cr(III) and Cr(VI) respectively. The method was applied to the routine analysis of various water samples.     

Evaluation of non-chromatographic approaches for speciation of extractable As(III) and As(V) in environmental solid samples by FI-HGAAS

Non-chromatographic speciation approaches have been developed for determination of water-soluble and phosphate-exchangeable As(III) and As(V) in certified reference materials of coal fly ash and sediments by FI-HGAAS. A 2_IV^6-2 fractional factorial design was employed for screening optimisation of the flow injection manifold. A simple two-stage sequential extraction protocol involving deionized water and a phosphate buffer as extractants was employed. Determination of both oxidation states of As in the extracts could be accomplished following arsine generation under different reaction conditions, namely, (i) selective determination of As(III) in citric acid medium or using soft generation conditions (i.e. low HCl and NaBH₄ concentrations); (ii) determination of total As in each extract using thioglycollic acid as reaction medium or after pre-reduction of As(V) to As(III) with a KI+ascorbic acid mixture. The As(V) content was estimated by difference between both measurements. Reaction conditions were previously optimised and analytical parameters in each reaction medium were established. Overall, the extractable As content was less than 5% in sediment and fly ash CRMs. The LOD of As was around 0.07 μg l⁻¹ for As(III) determination, and 0.06 μg l⁻¹ for total As determination after prereduction. Liquid chromatography coupled to atomic fluorescence spectrometry with post-column hydride generation was used for comparison.     

Speciation of very low amounts of arsenic and antimony in waters using dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction and electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

A new procedure for the determination of inorganic arsenic (III,V) and antimony (III,V) in water samples by dispersive liquid–liquid micro extraction separation and electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS) is presented. At pH 1, As(III) and Sb(III) are complexed with ammonium pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate and extracted into the fine droplets formed when mixing carbon tetrachloride (extraction solvent), methanol (disperser solvent) and the sample solution. After extraction, the phases are separated by centrifugation, and As(III) and Sb(III) are determined in the organic phase. As(V) and Sb(V) remain in the aqueous layer. Total inorganic As and Sb are determined after the reduction of the pentavalent forms with sodium thiosulphate. As(V) and Sb(V) are calculated by difference. The detection limits are 0.01 and 0.05 µg L^− 1 for As(III) and Sb(III), respectively, with an enrichment factor of 115. The relative standard deviation is in the 2.9–4.5% range. The procedure has been applied to the speciation of inorganic As and Sb in bottled, tap and sea water samples with satisfactory results.     

Simultaneous determination of rare earth elements by using substoichiometric separation of lanthanium

An analytical method for the simultaneous determination of rare earth elements by using substoichiometry with two chelating agents, a complexon and an extracting agent, is proposed. The principle of the method is that the element which has the lowest stability constant with the complexon is separated substoichiometrically, while other elements which have higher stability constants are separated quantitatively by a single extraction. This method was applied to neutron activation analysis of rare earth elements. Lanthanum, europium and terbium in orchard leaves were determined simultaneously by using substoichiometric separation with DTPA and TTA.     

Non-chromatographic hydride generation atomic spectrometric techniques for the speciation analysis of arsenic,antimony, selenium,and tellurium in water samples—a review

Hydride generation (HG) coupled with AAS, ICP–AES, and AFS techniques for the speciation analysis of As, Sb, Se, and Te in environmental water samples is reviewed. Careful control of experimental conditions, offline/online sample pretreatment methods employing batch, continuous and flow-injection techniques, and cryogenic trapping of hydrides enable the determination of various species of hydride-forming elements without the use of chromatographic separation. Other non-chromatographic approaches include solvent extraction, ion exchange, and selective retention by microorganisms. Sample pretreatment, pH dependency of HG, and control of NaBH₄/HCl concentration facilitate the determination of As(III), As(V), monomethylarsonate (MMA), and dimethylarsinate (DMA) species. Inorganic species of arsenic are dominant in terrestrial waters, whereas inorganic and methylated species are reported in seawater. Selenium and tellurium speciation analysis is based on the hydrides generation only from the tetravalent state. Se(IV) and Se(VI) are the inorganic selenium species mostly reported in environmental samples, whereas speciation of tellurium is rarely reported. Antimony speciation analysis is based on the slow kinetics of hydride formation from the pentavalent state and is mainly reported in seawater samples.     

Substoichiometric liquid-liquid extraction and determination of vanadium based on the synergic effect of thenolytrifluoroacetone and trioctylphosphine oxide

Vanadium(IV) is extracted synergically with thenoyltrifluoroacetone (HTTA) and trioctylphosphine oxide (TOPO) in cyclohexane as the mixed ligand complex, VO(TTA)₂TOPO. The synergic extraction constant is 10^5.06. The system can be used for the substoichiometric extraction of vanadium(IV); vanadium(IV) is extracted at pH 4.0–5.0 with a substoichiometric amount of HTTA in the presence of an excess of TOPO. The substoichiometric process combined with isotope dilution was successfully applied to the determination of vanadium(IV) in NBS-1633 coal fly ash; the value found was 222.5 ± 3.5 μg g^?1. The method is shown to be accurate and precise.     

Replacement substoichiometry and its application in activation analysis

A new method based on the substoichiometry principle has been developed. Instead of substoichiometric amounts of chelating agent, substoichiometric amounts of aqueous solution of a competing metal are used. Theoretical relationships have been derived for this method of substoichiometric replacement. Possibilities for its application are discussed.