Substoichiometric determination of traces of palladium by radioactive isotope-dilution analysis

A radioactive isotope-dilution method for the determination of traces of palladium has been developed. It is based on the solvent extraction of palladium dithizonate from acid solution by means of a substoichiometric amount of dithizone in carbon tetrachloride. The separation has been applied to the determination of traces of palladium in platinum, the rocks W-1 and PCC-1 and a biological material (kale). Amounts of palladium down to 3 ng have been determined.     

Substoichiometric determination of traces of gold by radioactive isotope-dilution analysis

A radioactive isotope-dilution method for the determination of traces of gold has been developed. It is based on the solvent extraction of gold diethyldithiocarbamate from 0-5N sulphuric acid containing ascorbic acid, by means of a substoichiometric amount of zinc diethyldithiocarbamate in chloroform. The separation has been applied to the analysis of gold-doped semiconductor-grade silicon and of gold-bearing ores. Amounts of gold down to 5 x 10(-7)g 20 ml of test solution can be determined.     

EXAFS investigations of strontium complexation by a polymer-supported crown ether

Extended X-ray absorption fine-structure (EXAFS) measurements have been used to probe the coordination environment of strontium ion sorbed from aqueous nitric acid solutions on an extraction chromatographic resin comprising a macrocyclic polyether dispersed on a polymeric support. The strontium EXAFS of the metal ions sorbed onto the resin are consistent with a 1:1:2 strontium:crown ether:nitrate stoichiometry in which the strontium is enveloped in the crown ether ring and both nitrate anions are coordinated to the strontium as bidentate ligands. This is the same structure and stoichiometry observed for complexes in liquid-liquid extraction when the macrocyclic polyether is dissolved in a diluent with low water miscibility like 1-octanol.     

Convective instability in a liquid-liquid system due to complexation with a crown ether

Periodic convective instability has been observed in a biphasic system during the complexation reaction of alkali picrate and dicyclohexano-18-crown-6 which undergoes mass transfer from the hexane phase into the aqueous phase. The convection was visualized by means of precipitated crystals that are formed in both phases by the complexation reaction. The fluid motion was observed with an optical microscope and further analyzed with the particle image velocimetry (PIV) technique. The partition at the extraction of cesium into the organic phase was followed by means of the radioactive isotope (137)Cs. The type of the hydrodynamic instability is governed by the alkali metal expressed via its stability constants for the complex formed. More stable complexes trigger a higher precipitation, thereby favoring a Raleigh-Taylor instability. Complexes with a lower stability constant induce Marangoni cells which show a pulsating character in a cubic container. Depending on the confinement of the experiment cell the fluid motion can also follow a back-and-forth movement. Possible mechanisms for the occurring oscillations are discussed.     

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 isotope-dilution determination of sulphur after conversion to methylene blue and ion-pair extraction with dodecyl sulphate

The proposed substoichiometric determination of sulphur includes two key steps: conversion of sulphur to methylene blue and ion-pair extraction of methylene blue into chloroform with a substoichiometric amount of dodecyl sulphate. The method, combined with isotope dilution is applied to the determination of total sulphur in NBS SRM Citrus Leaves and in a seaweed sample (Laminaria religiosa Miyabe). The mean values obtained were 0.401±0.008% S (RSD 2%; n=9; certified value 0.407±0.009%) for the SRM, and 0.756±0.012% S (RSD 1.6%; n=5) for the seaweed. A sample of 0.5–1 g containing ca. 100 μg of sulphur can be analysed.     

Solvent extraction separation of rubidium with a crown ether for neutron activation analysis in rock samples

The extraction behavior of rubidium with a crown ether has been studied and methods for the separation and determination of rubidium have been developed. Rubidium was separated with tetraphenylborate from sample solution, and then quantitatively extracted into nitrobenzene by 18-crown-6 from 0.05 mol/l picric acid (pH 6) and back-extracted by 6 mol/l hydrochloric acid. Rubidium was determined by the neutron activation method in rock samples.     

Substoichiometric determination of zinc by the isotope-dilution method using a chelating agent-loaded resin

A substoichiometric method for the determination of zinc has been developed. Zinc can be separated from other cations by using an anion-exchanger loaded with a substoichiometric amount of 8-quinolinol-5-sulphonic acid. Interfering metals can be removed beforehand by dithizone extraction. The feasibility of this method for water analysis was also examined.     

Synthetic macrocyclic ligands. II. Synthesis of a photochromic crown ether

A photochromic crown ether with two anthracene nuclei is synthesized and the metal ion dependence of its photo and thermal reactions is studied.     

Ion-pair extraction and fluorimetric determination of ultratraces of strontium with cryptand 2.2.2 and eosin

A highly sensitive and selective fluorimetric determination of strontium is proposed, based on solvent extraction of the ion-pair formed between the cationic complex of Sr²⁺ with cryptand 2.2.2 and eosinate as counter ion. A linear working range from 0.7 ng/ml (limit of detection) to 500 ng/ml of strontium and a relative standard deviation of 3.5% at the 100 ng/ml level are obtained. The metal: ligand: counter ion molecular ratio in the extracted mononuclear ion-pair is 1 1 1. The equilibrium constants involved in the extraction process were calculated.     

Separation of strontium from nuclear waste solutions by solvent extraction with crown ethers

The possibilities of strontium separation from medium activity waste (MAW) solutions have been investigated. MAW originates from the PUREX process and contains NaNO₃ and HNO₃ in a large excess. By solvent extraction with the crown ether dicyclohexano-18-crown-6 (DC-18-C-6) in 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane, separation is possible. The distribution ratio for Sr²⁺ depends on the concentration of HNO₃, NaNO₃ and Pb(NO₃)₂. The extraction system is employed in a continuous counter-current process. After use, the extraction agent can easily be regenerated by reextraction with pure water.     

Fluorous ionic liquids as solvents for the liquid-liquid extraction of metal ions by macrocyclic polyethers

The predominant mode of strontium ion transfer from aqueous nitrate media into a series of 1-fluoroalkyl-3-methylimidazolium bis[(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)]imides containing dicyclohexano-18-crown-6 (DCH18C6) is shown to shift from cation exchange to strontium nitrato-crown ether complex partitioning as the length of the fluoroalkyl substituent is increased. Fluoroalkyl substituents are shown to be only slightly more effective than their non-fluorous analogs at inducing this shift. At the same time, the fluorinated ionic liquids (ILs) yield strontium distribution ratios as much as an order of magnitude lower than the corresponding 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium (C_nmim⁺) salts. Fluorous ILs thus appear to offer no compelling advantages over C_nmim⁺ ionic liquids as extraction solvents.     

Golden crowns: cation binding by macrocyclic gold(I) crown ether derivatives

The polyether bis(alkynes) α,ω-bis(O-propargyl)triethylene glycol and α,ω-bis(O-4-propargyloxyphenoxy)triethylene glycol reacted with [AuCl(SMe₂)] in the presence of base to form the corresponding oligomeric gold(I) acetylide complexes (AuCCCH₂O(CH₂CH₂O)₃CH₂CCAu)_n and (AuCCCH₂OC₆H₄O(CH₂CH₂O)₃C₆H₄OCH₂CCAu)_n. These digold(I) diacetylide complexes reacted with diphosphine ligands to give macrocyclic digold(I) complexes of the type [Au₂(μ-CC)(μ-PP)], where CC is the diacetylide and PP is a diphosphine ligand. These digold(I) complexes bind the cations Li⁺, Na⁺, K⁺ and Cs⁺, as studied by electrospray mass spectrometry.     

Pertraction of strontium in bulk liquid membrane systems using crown ether as a carrier

The rate of pertraction of Sr²⁺ by 18-crown-6 (18-C-6) ether and picric acid in bulk liquid membrane systems containing various surface-active substances depends not only on the concentration of 18-C-6 and picric acid but also on the presence of various surface-active substances.     

Spectrophotometric determination of sodium by ion-pair extraction with crown ether complexes and monoanionic dyes

A highly selective photometric procedure for the determination of sodium in blood serum is proposed, based on the ion-pair extraction of a sodium—cryptand complex. A comparative study of cryptands with various cavity sizes, different pairing anions and extraction solvents is described. The use of cryptand 211, picrate and toluene, as ligand, pairing anion and extraction solvent, respectively, allows sodium to be determined at the μg ml^?1 level. A 350-fold amount of potassium (by weight) does not interfere, nor do other alkali metals. Possible interferences by multivalent cations are masked by EDTA.     

Selective solid-phase extraction of catecholamines by the chemically modified polymeric adsorbents with crown ether

A simple and selective one-step solid-phase extraction procedure using chemically modified polymer resin (Amberlite XAD-4) with crown ether was investigated for the measurement of urinary catecholamines. After loading the urine samples (adjusted to pH 4) on the synthesized adsorbent cartridge, the column was washed with methanol followed by water and then the adsorbed catecholamines were eluted by 1.0 mL of 6.0 M acetic acid. The effectiveness of sample clean-up method was demonstrated by reversed-phase ion-pair high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. Under optimal condition, the recoveries of epinephrine, norepinephrine, and dopamine from spiked urine sample were >86% for all catecholamines. The detection limits (n=5) for epinephrine, norepinephrine, and dopamine were 37, 52, and 46 nmol/L, respectively.     

Ion-extraction by a crown ether with a photoresponsive carboxylate cap.

A new photoresponsive crown ether (I) with an azobenzene-4-oxyacetate function was synthesized. The photo-isomerized cis-(1) extracted K⁺ ion more selectively than trans-(I) and the thermal cis-trans isomerization was suppressed by added metal ions.     

Comparison of segmentors for liquid-liquid extraction flow-injection analysis

The segmentation of two immiscible solvents in a continuous liquid—liquid extraction flow system has been studied with a computer-controlled photometric detection system (resolution time 3 msec). The T-shaped segmentors tested were made of fluoroplastic, glass (A4-T fitting) and a modified glass (A8-T fitting). The modified A8-T fitting gave the most repeatable segmentation (rsd 2%).     

A liquid-liquid extraction procedure followed by a low temperature purification step for the analysis of macrocyclic lactones in milk by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and fluorescence detection

In this work a method is proposed and demonstrated for the analysis of the macrocyclic lactones abamectin, doramectin, eprinomectin, ivermectin and moxidectin in bovine milk by liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (LC-FL). The method is based on liquid-liquid extraction followed by a low temperature purification (LLE-LTP) step. Moreover, the proposed method was validated according to the Commission Decision 2002/657/EC, using LC-MS/MS and LC-FL for confirmatory and quantitative analysis, respectively. For LC-MS/MS the recovery rates observed ranged from 101.2 to 141.6% with coefficient of variation from 2.6 to 19.8%. For LC-FL the recovery rates observed ranged from 100.2 to 105% and coefficient of variations from 2.9 to 8.8%. Matrix effects were negligible due to the low temperature purification step. The quantification limits were far below the maximum limits established by regulations of all countries consulted. The proposed method proved to be simple, easy, and adequate for high-throughput analysis of a large number of samples per day at low cost.