X-ray fluorescence analysis of trace metal ions following a preconcentration of metal-diethyldithiocarbamate complexes by homogeneous liquid-liquid extraction

A homogeneous liquid-liquid extraction method for 36 metal ions with diethyldithiocarbamate was studied. As a result, 11 metal ions were extracted as metal-chelates. Under the experimental conditions, the maximum concentration factor was 500 (i.e., 0.1?mL of sedimented liquid phase was produced from 50 mL of aqueous phase). Moreover, the proposed method was utilized as a preconcentration method for X-ray fluorescence analysis of these metals. The recovery of each metal was ca. 97–100%. All calibration curves were linear over the range of 5.0 × 10^–7 mol L^–1 to 1.0 × 10^–5 mol L^–1. The detection limits were at the ¶10^–8 mol L^–1 levels and the relative standard deviations were below 5% (5 determinations). When the proposed method was used for the determination of contaminants in a synthetic sample (Al-based alloy model) and of components in an Au-Pd alloy, the results were satisfactory.     

Ion-pair liquid-solid extraction for the preconcentration of trace metal ions Optimization of experimental conditions

Cu(II) has been recovered from dilute solutions (0.1 mug/ml) by adsorbing the ion-pairs formed between different quaternary ammonium salts and the Cu-8-hydroxyquinoline-5-sulphonic acid complex on adsorbent resins, namely XAD 8 and S 862. Both batch and column techniques have been used, the first of which gave superior recovery and precision. It has also been shown that XAD 8 resin can be transformed into an ion-exchanger suitable for preconcentration of Cu(II). The results obtained have been compared with those of reversed-phase ion-pair chromatography and a model is proposed.     

Solid-liquid extraction as a preconcentration technique in trace element analysis Extraction of trace impurities from metal chlorides

Microgram quantities of iron, cobalt, copper, zinc and cadmium are extracted with various aqueous, organic and mixed solvents from chlorides of sodium, potassium, nickel, cadmium, barium and lead prepared by evaporation of aqueous sample solutions. An ultrasonic field accelerates the extraction, and satisfactory trace recoveries and separation factors are achieved in several systems within a reasonable time. The application to a polarographic determination and a two-stage separation technique are also described.     

On-line extraction of metal ions using liquid-liquid segmentation and a membrane type phase separator for fluorescence detection

Summary A liquid segmented post-column reaction system has been used to extract metal ions from an aqueous eluent into an organic solvent for fluorescence detection. The metals Zr(IV), Ga(III), Sc(III), Y(III), In(III), Al(III), La(III), Zn(II), Cd(II), Ca(II) and Mg(II) have been isocratically separated on a C₁₈ column by virtue of the secondary chemical equilibrium established by an eluent containing n-octanesulfonate, tartaric acid, and hydroxyisobutyric acid. The chelating reagent 8-hydroxyquinoline dissolved in methylisobutyl ketone (MIBK) was used to extract the metals and a membrane type phase separator was effective at separating the phases and directing the organic stream to the detector. The response for this detection approach was linear for metal ion concentrations spanning the range of the detector, and detection limits for most metals were low parts-per-billion (ppb). Band broadening for the extraction system was examined and compared to a direct post-column reaction using oxine dissolved in acetone.     

Perfluorocarbon-based liquid-liquid extraction for separation of transition metal ions.

We report a liquid-liquid extraction system based on perfluorocarbon (fluorous-solvent extraction) that allows selective extraction of metal ions from aqueous and organic phases to a perfluorocarbon phase (FC-72) with perfluorinated beta-diketone (1,1,1,5,5,6,6,6-octafluoro-2,4-hexanedione), which can be followed by backward extraction using 1 M nitric acid.     

Cloud point extraction preconcentration for capillary electrophoresis of metal ions

The application of the cloud point extraction (CPE) technique for capillary electrophoresis (CE) determination of metal ions was demonstrated using Cu(II) and Co(II) as model metal ions. The preconcentration of Cu(II) and Co(II) in aqueous solution was achieved by CPE with 1-(2-pyridylazo)-2-naphthol (PAN) as the chelating agent and Triton X-114 as the extractant. Baseline separation of the PAN chelates of Cu(II) and Co(II) was realized by CE with a photodiaode array detector in a  μm i.d. fused-silica capillary at 17 kV. A 50 mM NH₄Ac buffer solution (pH 8.0) containing 0.2 mM of PAN in 80% (v/v) of acetonitrile and 20% (v/v) doubly deionized water (DDW) was used as the separation medium to avoid the adsorption of hydrophobic substances and nonionic surfactant Triton X-114 onto the inner surface of the separation capillary, ensuring the separation efficiency and reproducibility. The precision (relative standard deviation (R.S.D.), n=5) for five replicate injections of a mixture of 20 μg/l of Co(II) and Cu(II) were 0.74 and 1.8% for the migration time, 3.1 and 0.64% for the peak area measurement, respectively. The apparent concentration factor, which is defined as the concentration ratio of the analyte in the final diluted surfactant-rich extract ready for CE separation and in the initial solution, was 15.9 for Co(II) and 16.3 for Cu(II). The linear concentration range was from 3 to 100 μg/l for both Co(II) and Cu(II). The detection limits of Co(II) and Cu(II) were 0.12 and 0.26 μg/l, respectively. The developed method was successfully applied to the determination of Co(II) and Cu(II) in tap water, snow water, and flavor wines.     

Homogeneous liquid-liquid extraction method for the selective separation and preconcentration of ultra trace molybdenum

A new simple and efficient homogeneous liquid-liquid extraction method for the selective separation and preconcentration of molybdenyl ions was developed. α-Benzoin oxime (ABO) was investigated as a complexing ligand, and perfluorooctanoate ion (PFOA⁻) was applied as a phase-separator agent under strongly acidic conditions. Under the optimal conditions ([ABO] = 2.1 × 10⁻³ M, [PFOA⁻] = 1.8 × 10⁻² M, [HNO₃] = 1.7 M, [acetone] = 11.8% (v/v)), 10 μg of molybdenum in 5 ml aqueous phase could be extracted quantitatively into 40 μl of the sedimented phase. The maximum concentration factor was 125-fold. Thiocyanate was applied as a chromogenic reagent for the direct spectrophotometric determination of molybdenum in the sedimented phase. The reproducibility of the proposed method is at the most 2.4%.The influence of the type and concentration of acid solution, the concentration of ABO, the type and volume of the water-miscible organic solvent, the concentration of PFOA⁻, and the effect of different diverse ions on the extraction and determination of molybdenum(VI) were investigated. The proposed method was applied to the extraction and determination of molybdenum(VI) in natural water, Spinach, and Lucerne samples. A satisfactory agreement exists between the results obtained by the proposed method and those reported by GF-AAS.     

Solid-phase extraction and subsequent capillary zone electrophoresis of trace metal ions as soluble dithiocarbamate complexes

Summary Modest detectability in capillary electrophoresis is often a challenge for the determination of trace-level metal ions. This limitation has been addressed by the development of an enrichment procedure combining the formation of metal bis(carboxymethyl)dithiocarbamate complexes, water soluble at basic pH and sparingly soluble in an acidic environment, and solidphase extraction. Appropriate conditions were developed for a solid-phase extraction step well compatible with subsequent capillary electrophoretic separation in terms of the composition of electrophoresis and eluting buffers. At pH below 4 when the ligand carboxyl groups are non-ionized, metal ion complexes have no apparent charge and are efficiently retained on a conventional C₁₆ cartridge. Application of a basic eluent, a borate buffer at pH9, causes the complexes to be ionized and eluted rapidly and quantitatively. Parameters affecting the retention/recovery behavior, such as the pH and ligand concentration of the loading solution, flow-rate, eluting buffer pH and concentration, etc, were examined to attain the best possible enrichment factors for trace metal ions. As a result, an increase in sensitivity over two orders of magnitude was gained that permitted lowering the detection limits for copper(II), lead(II), cadmium(II), nickel(II), and mercury(II) down to a low-μg L⁻¹ level.     

Cadmium-109 sources for trace analysis by X-ray fluorescence

Procedures for preparing¹⁰⁹Cd sources suitable for use in trace-element analysis by the X-ray fluorescence method were investigated. Sources were prepared from¹⁰⁹Cd in a 0.1N HCl solution by three different techniques: (a) electrodeposition of¹⁰⁹Cd onto a silver plate, which was then enclosed in a silver housing; (b) electrodeposition onto a lead foil, enclosed in a lead housing; (c) sorption of the¹⁰⁹Cd on a Permutit anionic exchange membrane, which was then enclosed in a silver housing. Using identical test conditions, the best results were obtained with the last-mentioned source, which was used successfully for the determination of Br and Pb in organic materials at concentration levels of ppm.     

Microscale preconcentration by liquid-liquid extraction of cadmium in indium and nickel

Microscale preconcentration techniques using 1 to 10 milligrams of samples and microliter volumes of aqueous solutions and organic solvents are described for the determination of cadmium at the sub-ppm level in indium and nickel by graphite-furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. Several simple apparatus are devised to overcome operational difficulties resulting from the miniaturization and ensure the precision and accuracy of analytical results. Cadmium in the metals is heterogeneously distributed.     

On-line preconcentration and ICP determination for trace metal analysis

The use of a closed-loop on-line enrichment procedure in combination with an ICP plasma emission spectrometer has been developed for the analysis of trace metal ions, such as Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn. The procedure utilizes a preconcentration column filled with an anion exchange resin and 8-hydroxy-7-iodoquinoline-5-sulphonic acid is added to the sample prior to preconcentration. Details on the optimization of pretreatment and instrumental conditions are described. Results obtained for the analysis of river water and antarctic seawater are reported.Presented in part at the 1989 European Winter Conference on Plasma Spectrochemistry, Reutte, Austria     

Synthesis of chromogenic crown ethers and liquid-liquid extraction of alkali metal ions

New crown ethers carrying a pendent phenolic chromophore were synthesized. These crown ethers, on dissociation of the phenolic proton, provide lipophilic anions which can extract alkali metal cations into 1,2-dichloroethane by forming highly-colored uncharged metal complexes. Structural effects on the extraction were studied for possible use of these crown ethers as extraction—spectrophotometric reagents selective for alkali metals. The following factors are discussed in detail: (i) nature of the crown ether ring (ring size. aza-crown or standard crown ether), (ii) nature of the pendent phenolic group, and (iii) geometry between the crown ether center and pendent phenolic group. 15-Crown-5 or smaller ring-sized reagents favored the extraction of lithium ion when the basicity of the pendent phenolate was relatively high and a six-membered “chelate” ring was possible for the phenolate and the crown ether-bound metal. 15-Crown-5 type reagents were sodium-selective when an eight-membered “chelate” ring was possible between the phenolate and the crown ether-bound metal. 18-Crown-6 type reagents were generally potassium-selective. However, these selectivities were not absolute, and other structural parameters, steric and conformational, must be considered to explain in detail the selectivities of the individual reagents.     

Radionuclide X-ray fluorescence analysis of drinking water using preconcentration of trace metals on chelating cellulose exchanger OSTSORB-OXIN

Determination of Cr, Fe, Cu, Zn and Pb in drinking water preconcentrated on a chelating ion exchanger of Czechoslovak production is described. The analytical system consisted of a radionuclide source²³⁸Pu, a Si/Li semiconductor detector and a multichannel analyzer. Results are compared with trehshold limit values recommended for drinking water.     

Determination of trace metal ions by AAS in natural water samples after preconcentration of pyrocatechol violet complexes on an activated carbon column

A simple preconcentration method is described for the determination of Cu, Mn, Co, Cd, Pb, Ni and Cr in water samples by flame AAS. Trace metal ions in water were sorbed as pyrocatechol violet complexes on activated carbon column at the pH range of 4–8, then eluted with 1 M HNO₃ in acetone. The effect of major cations and anions of the natural water samples on the sorption of metal ions has been also investigated. The concentration of the metal ions detected after preconcentration was in agreement with the added amount. The present method was found to be applicable to the preconcentration of Cu, Mn, Co, Cd, Pb, Ni and Cr in natural water samples with good results such as R.S.D. from 3 to 8% (N=10) and detection limits under 70 ng l⁻¹.     

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.     

Microfluidic chip-based liquid-liquid extraction and preconcentration using a subnanoliter-droplet trapping technique

A robust and simple approach for microfluidic liquid-liquid (L-L) extraction at the subnanoliter-scale was developed for on-chip sample pretreatment. Organic solvent droplets of a few hundred pL were trapped within micro recesses fabricated in the channel walls of a microfabricated glass chip. L-L extraction was performed by delivering aqueous samples through the channel, with the sample stream continuously flowing adjacent to the droplets. The analytes in aqueous streams were enriched within the droplet with high preconcentration factors owing to both phase transfer and dissolution of organic solvent into the bypassing aqueous sample. An aqueous solution of butyl rhodamine B (BRB) and 1-hexanol were used, respectively, as sample and extractant to demonstrate the performance of the system. The fluorescence intensity of the dye extracted into the droplet was monitored in situ by LIF. The system proved to be an efficient means for achieving high enrichment factors of over 1000, with sample consumption of a few microL. Quantitative measurement of the extracted analyte was achieved with a linear response in the range 1 x 10(-9)-8 x 10(-7) M BRB. The precision of the measured fluorescence values for a 10(-7) M BRB standard with a 12.5 min preconcentration period was 6.6% RSD (n = 5).     

Solvent extraction of alkali metal ions with chromium complexes

Solvent extraction of alkali metal ions by batch and counter-current distribution methods was investigated with tetrathiocyanatodiamminechromate(III) and tetrathiocyanatodianilinechromate(III) as reagents and nitromethane and nitrobenzene as organic solvents. The distribution ratios of alkali metal ions in the various systems were measured. Cesium was readily extracted with the aniline compound and nitrobenzene. The separation of sodium from potassium in trace amounts was possible by the counter-current distribution method.     

Multielement trace analysis of solid and liquid samples by X-ray fluorescence

Summary The use of energy-dispersive multielement X-ray analysis is described and the radionuclides¹⁰⁹Cd and²⁴¹Am and X-ray tubes combined with secondary targets are compared as X-ray sources. Solid powdered samples of infinite thickness are used without further treatment. Calibration standards are prepared from silica gel, and correction factors are derived from the peak heights of Compton scattering. Results for various geological samples and for dust samples are presented. Liquid samples are treated by means of a column or a filter with chelating groups bound to cellulose. A thin layer of the cellulose powder or the filter is analysed with the aid of calibration graphs. Results of multielement trace analysis of standardized water, river water and sea-water are presented and discussed.

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Zusammenfassung Die Anordnung für die energie-dispersive Multielement-Röntgenfluores-zenzanalyse einerseits mit Hilfe von Radionukliden (¹⁰⁹Cd und²⁴¹Am), andrerseits mit Röntgenröhren in Verbindung mit Sekundärtargets als Röntgenquellen wird beschrieben und verglichen. Feste Proben unendlicher Dicke werden in Pulverform ohne weitere Vorbehandlung verwendet. Die Eichung erfolgt mit Standardpräparaten, die aus Silicagel hergestellt werden und unter Anwendung eines Korrekturfaktors, der aus der Höhe der Peaks der Compton-Streuung abgeleitet wird. Ergebnisse für verschiedene geologische Proben und für Staub werden vorgelegt. Flüssige Proben werden mit einer Säulenmethode oder einer Filtermethode behandelt, wobei chelatbildende Gruppen auf Cellulose verwendet werden. Die dünne Schicht des Cellulosepulvers oder das Filter werden mit Hilfe von Eichkurven analysiert. Ergebnisse der Multielement-Spurenanalyse von standardisiertem Wasser, Leitungswasser, Flußwasser und Meerwasser werden vorgelegt und diskutiert.

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Presented at the International Symposium on Microchemical Techniques, May 23–27, 1977, Davos, Switzerland.     

Bubble extraction as a preconcentration step in trace elemental analysis: a preliminary study

Summary Surface active properties of dithizone and mercury(II) dithizonate have been analyzed by means of a laboratory apparatus for bubble extraction in view of utilizing it as a preconcentration device. Dependence of extraction efficiency on various parameters has been analyzed. Particularly, the dependence on concentration has been discussed in terms of adsorption isotherm and compared with that of a typical surface-active dye (crystal violet). It has been found that quantitative recovery ( 90%) of mercury, as mercury(II) dithizonate, is obtained from solutions of sufficiently low concentration ( 0.3 g/l).

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Fraktionierextraktion als Anreicherungsstufe in der Spurenelementanalyse. Eine vorläufige Untersuchung