The effect of surfactants on the concentration of heavy metals from natural waters on chelex-100 resin

Trace amounts of zinc, cadmium, copper, nickel, manganese, cobalt and lead can be separated from natural waters on Chelex-100 resin (50–100 mesh) in the presence of cationic, anionic and non-ionic detergents, washing powder and sodium tripolyphosphate at concentrations as high as 100 mg l^-1. Metal recoveries are better than 92% but are poor in the presence of soap or the potential detergent additive, nitrilotriacetic acid. Although strong adsorption of cationic, and to a lesser extent, anionic and non-ionic detergents, occurs on the resin surface, low recoveries can be attributed to incomplete metal elution rather than to blockage of adsorption sites. Experiments with radiotracers show that the total metal present in natural waters is not adsorbed by Chelex-100 unless metal ions are first released from colloids or strong complexes.     

Comparison of physicochemical speciation procedures with metal toxicity to chlorella pyrenoidosa

Metal speciation as measured by anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV), adsorption on a resin with adsorbed hydrated aluminium oxide, and dialysis with receiving resins is compared with the toxicity of the metals to the freshwater green alga Chlorella pyrenoidosa Chick. In the presence of natural and synthetic ligands, similar labile fractions of metals were obtained for ASV at three electrodes (hanging mercury drop electrode, mercury film electrode and Nafion-coated mercury film electrode). The toxic fractions determined by ASV and bioassay were in reasonable agreement for zinc, cadmium and copper, and alteration of the analytical conditions provided some measure of agreement for lead. The resin with adsorbed hydrated aluminium oxide correlated well with bioassay for copper, but over-estimated lead toxicity and under-estimated cadmium toxicity. Dialysis with receiving resins under-estimated metal bioaccumulation in the presence of ligands. Metal speciation analysis for water samples gave higher toxic fractions for metals in samples of polluted river water and road runoff samples than those found in pristine river water.     

Determination of trace metals in sea water by chelex-100 or solvent extraction techniques and atomic absorption spectrometry

Determinations of cadmium, lead, nickel, copper and zinc in sea water are discussed. Two different methods of preconcentration are compared: the trace metals are preconcentrated either by extraction with ammonium pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate/diethylammonium diethyldithiocarbamate into freon followed by back-extraction into nitric acid, or by collection on a Chelex-100 resin followed by elution with nitric acid. Cd, Pb, Ni, and Cu are determined by graphite-furnace atomic absorption spectrometry, while zinc is determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The comparison of methods shows that cadmium can be determined accurately whereas results for the other trace metals may be biased by reagent contamination in the Chelex-100 method. Recovery data are given for both methods of preconcentration. Filtering experiments with Chelex-100 method are described. Results are compared for sea-water samples preconcentrated immediately after sampling and some weeks after sampling, with only freezing for preservation. The present results are consistent with other recent work. The importance of blank values is discussed.     

Speciation of protein-binding zinc and copper in human blood serum by chelating resin pre-treatment and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

A method for the speciation of zinc and copper binding with proteins in human serum was explored by chelating resin (Chelex-100) pre-treatment and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). It was shown by a SEC (size-exclusion chromatography)-ICP-MS system that albumin-zinc and albumin-copper (loosely-bound species) could be selectively removed from serum by adsorption on the Chelex-100 resin after the chelating resin pre-treatment, while alpha 2-macroglobulin-zinc and ceruloplasmin-copper (firmly-bound species) remained in the serum. The zinc and copper bound with alpha 2-macroglobulin and ceruloplasmin, respectively, were then determined by ICP-MS after batch treatment of the serum samples with the Chelex-100 resin. In addition, the total concentrations of zinc and copper were also determined by ICP-MS after a 20-fold dilution with 0.1 M HNO3. The albumin-zinc and -copper were estimated as the differences between the concentrations of total and firmly-bound species. The present batch pre-treatment method was applied to the speciation analysis of zinc and copper binding with proteins in sera donated from 25 healthy volunteers as well as from a pregnant woman and a myelodysplastic syndrome patient. The observed concentrations of alpha 2-macroglobulin-zinc and ceruloplasmin-copper were in the ranges 109-202 ng ml-1 (12.4-31.3% of total zinc) and 513-880 ng ml-1 (90.6-99.7% of total copper), respectively. The present method is simple (only addition of the chelating resin and centrifugation is required) and reproducible (average RSD = 2% for alpha 2-macroglobulin-zinc and 1% for ceruloplasmin-copper in intra-assay measurements, and 5% for alpha 2-macroglobulin-zinc and 4% for ceruloplasmin-copper in inter-assay measurements), and there is less risk of contamination during separation.     

Sampling and analytical methods for the determination of copper,cadmium, zinc,and nickel at the nanogram per liter level in sea water

Sea-water samples collected by a variety of clean sampling techniques yielded consistent results for copper, cadmium, zinc, and nickel, which implies that representative, uncontaminated samples were obtained. A dithiocarbamate extraction method coupled with atomic absorption spectrometry and electrothermal atomization is described which is essentially 100% quantitative for each of the four metals studied, has lower blanks and detection limits, and yields better precision than previously published techniques. A more precise and accurate determination of these metals in sea water at their natural ng l^-1 concentration levels is therefore possible. Samples analyzed by this procedure and by concentration on Chelex-100 showed similar results for cadmium and zinc. Both copper and nickel appeared to be inefficiently removed from sea water by Chelex-100. Comparison of the organic extraction results with other pertinent investigations showed excellent agreement.     

Trace metals species in sea-water-I: removal of trace metals from sea-water by a chelating resin

A significant fraction of the copper, lead, cadmium and zinc in sea-water exists in a form which is not retained by a chelating resin (Chelex-100) or extracted by ammonium pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate. Anodic stripping voltammetric results suggest that the major part of the unavailable trace metal is adsorbed on, or occluded in, organic or inorganic colloidal particles. An ionic equilibria computer program was used to predict the effect of various complexing agents on trace metal species in sea-water. Citric acid and amino-acids, with the exception of l-cysteine, were shown to be unimportant as complexing agents, and the ability of an EDTA-like ligand to complex Cu, Pb, Cd and Zn is controlled entirely by the concentrations of the ligand and of "labile" Fe(III) and Cr(III) in sea-water, since these two ions together will react quantitatively with EDTA. l-Cysteine, if present in sea-water, would also complex the trace metals.     

Cation-exchange separation of metals in dimethyl sulphoxide-aqueous hydrochloric acid media

The behaviour of bismuth, cadmium, copper, lead, silver, tin and zinc on a cation-exchange resin in a solvent system consisting of dimethyl sulphoxide, hydrochloric acid and water was studied. The distribution coefficients of these metal ions between liquid and resin were determined as functions of the concentration of dimethyl sulphoxide and of hydrochloric acid. On the basis of the distribution coefficients found, predictions were made as to the possibilities of separating these metals from mixtures. Such separations were confirmed experimentally for bismuth from lead, bismuth from copper, zinc from lead, lead from cadmium, silver from copper, silver from lead, lead from cadmium from zinc, bismuth from lead from zinc, and bismuth from zinc from copper.     

Determination of trace amounts of copper and zinc in sea water with polymer-supported 1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane

The very low affinity of tetraaza macrocycles for alkali and alkaline earth metals make them attractive for the preconcentration of transition metals from seawater. Three different procedures for determinations of copper and zinc with 1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane (cyclam) bound to poly(chloromethyl)vinylbenzene are described. Results for both metals in estuarine and oceanic waters, compared to those obtained with Chelex-100 resin, show that the polymer-supported cyclam provides > 95% extraction of these two metals. The resin is used as a solid sample for electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry, or the metal is back-extracted with nitric acid for injection.     

Pre-concentration efficiency of chelex-100 resin for heavy metals in seawater : Part 1. Effects of pH and Salts on the Distribution Ratios of Heavy Metals

The chelating characteristics of Chelex-100 resin were studied for selected heavy metals in seawater medium. The results of batch equilibrium and breakthrough experiments show that the metal-chelating efficiency of the resin is lower in seawater than in freshwater. These differences are caused by the complicated speciation of heavy metals in seawater medium and by the high concentrations of magnesium and calcium present which act as competitors to heavy metal ions. The optimal pH values for column operation are strongly affected by the salt matrix. Careful choice of experimental conditions is necessary to avoid losses of cadmium and manganese from seawater. For better performance, seawater samples should be adjusted to pH 6–7 before loading onto a Chelex-100 column.     

Speciation of copper in fresh waters

The cations and readily dissociable complexes of copper are separated from copper adsorbed on inorganic and organic particulate species in river and pond waters by selective sorption on a strong-acid cation-exchange resin, AG 50W-X12, and a chelating resin, Chelex-100, for atomic absorption spectrometry. The sorption behaviour after the pH change and removal of carbon dioxide suggests that the dominant low-molecular-weight copper species in river waters are neutral CuCO⁰₃ and Cu²⁺ ions.     

Chelating resins for the concentration of trace elements from sea water and their analytical use in conjunction with atomic absorption spectrophotometry

An investigation has been made of the uptake of trace elements from both distilled water and sea water by the chelating ion-exchange resins Chelex-100 and Permutit S1005. The resins retained the following elements with an efficiency of ca. 100%: Ag, Bi, Cd, Cu, In, Pb, Mo, Ni, rare earths, Re (90% only), Sc, Th, W, V, Y and Zn. Manganese was retained quantitatively only by the Chelex resin. The following elements are removed with 100% efficiency by means of₂N mineral acids: Bi, Cd, Co, Cu, In, Ni, Pb, rare earths, Sc, Th, Y and Zn. Ammonia (4 N) completely removes molybdenum, tungsten, vanadium and rhenium. The resins have been used in conjunction with atomic absorption spectrophotometry for the simultaneous determination of zinc, cadmium, copper, nickel and cobalt in sea waters.     

Metal speciation measurement by diffusive gradients in thin films technique with different binding phases

Since its invention in the mid-1990s, the diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) technique has rapidly become one of the most promising in situ sampling techniques for trace metal measurement in natural waters. We investigated here the possibility of using DGT devices with different binding phases to determine different DGT labile fractions of Cd and Cu in laboratory solutions and in natural waters. Several binding phases were studied, including conventional Chelex 100 resin imbedded polyacrylamide hydrogel (Chelex) and several recently developed binding phases, poly(acrylamide-co-acrylic acid) (PAM-PAA) gel, poly(acrylamidoglycolic acid-co-acrylamide) (PAAG-PAM) gel, Whatman P81 cellulose phosphate ion-exchange membrane (P81), and poly(4-styrenesulfonate) (PSS) aqueous solution. Laboratory testing in metal solutions spiked with EDTA or humic acid suggested that all the DGT devices measured only free metal ions and inorganic metal complexes. Upon field testing at both freshwater and seawater sites it was found that the DGT labile metal concentrations measured by different binding phases can be significantly different, suggesting that the DGT labile metal fractions were dependent on binding strength of the binding phase. By designing binding phases that can compete with different natural water complexing ligands to varying extents, it is possible to use these different DGT devices to measure metal speciation in natural waters.     

Speciation of copper and zinc in natural freshwater: comparison of voltammetric measurements, diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) and chemical equilibrium models

In situ measurements of copper and zinc using diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) in two distinct natural water systems were compared to metal speciation assessed by competitive ligand exchange (CLE) and voltammetric measurements. In a dynamic river system, where dissolved metal concentrations vary significantly over short-time periods, DGT technique provided averaged values of the metal concentrations over time. In microcosms, at different total dissolved concentrations of copper and zinc, DGT technique measured a similar fraction as measurements of labile metal performed by voltammetry. The proportion of DGT and voltammetric-labile zinc to dissolved zinc was 61±4% and, respectively, 76±9%. DGT technique was measuring 81±8% of exchangeable copper (by exchange with catechol). These two fractions were similarly influenced by the addition of NTA. In the absence of NTA, copper measured by DGT represented 34±4% of dissolved copper whereas in the presence of NTA, this proportion raised to 57±2%. These measurements were compared to calculations performed with speciation programs using several models for the complexation by humic and fulvic substances, namely Model VI (WHAM), NICA-Donnan and SHM. The predicted speciation by these three models was similar. The prediction of free zinc ion and labile zinc concentrations were in agreement with experimental data. Calculated concentrations of free copper ion were overestimated because these models are not considering strong specific copper-binding ligands probably present in natural water.     

Mercury depth profiles in river and marine sediments measured by the diffusive gradients in thin films technique with two different specific resins

The diffusive gradients in thin films technique (DGT) was used to measure depth profiles of mercury in river and marine sediments in situ to a spatial resolution of 0.5 cm. Agarose gel was used as the diffusive gel in the DGT probes. Two different selective resins—Chelex 100 with iminodiacetic groups and Spheron-Thiol with thiol groups incorporated in the polyacrylamide resin gel—were tested. The different capture efficiencies of the two adsorbents enabled the fractions of mercury bound in different species in sediment pore water to be estimated. Mercury concentrations obtained by DGT with Spheron-Thiol resin were very similar to those obtained after centrifugation. This indicates that DGT with Sheron-Thiol resin reports on total dissolved mercury levels. The concentration of mercury measured by DGT with Chelex-100 resin was much lower (by a factor of 5–20) for the same sediment samples. Chelex-100 does not have such a high affinity to mercury as Spheron-Thiol, and so it only reports on the content of labile mercury species, such as inorganic ions and weak complexes. The content of labile mercury species in the river sediment was approximately 20% of the total dissolved mercury in pore water, whereas in marine sediment only 7% of the mercury was present as labile species.     

A new selective and high affinity polymeric complexing agent for transition metal ions

Summary The synthesis and characteristics of a new chelating glycinohydroxamate-containing polymer resin is described. The functionality of the polymer is 1.76 mmolg^–1. The hydrogen capacity, water regain and adsorption capacities for iron(III), cadmium(II), cobalt(II), copper(II), nickel(II) and zinc(II) were measured at various pH values; uptake of the metal ions increased with pH and was quantitative above pH 3 for most of the metal ions. All cations studied showed high exchange rates towards the resin. The half saturation times for iron(III), cadmium(II), copper(II) and zinc(II) were all less than 1 min. The coordination behaviour of the resin was studied with the help of e.p.r., i.r., u.v. and potentiometry. The pK _a of the resin is 10.70 and the log value of the stability constants for iron(III), copper(II), lead(II), zinc(II), cobalt(II), manganese(II), cadmium(II) and nickel(II) were measured as 21.81, 19.50, 19.20, 18.59, 18.51, 18.46, 18.37 and 18.36, respectively, at 25 ° C and I = 0.2M KCl.     

Speciation of Cu(II) with a flow-through permeation liquid membrane: discrimination between free copper, labile and inert Cu(II) complexes, under natural water conditions

Metal toxicity is not related to the total metal ion concentration, but to those of some specific Cu(II) species. The Permeation Liquid Membrane technique is based on the carrier-mediated transport of the test metal across a hydrophobic membrane and enables discrimination between various trace metal species in solution. The present work shows how the labile and inert Cu(II) complexes can be determined selectively, by varying the flow-rate of the test solution, in a flow-through cell. A mathematical model of metal flux through the PLM, based on diffusion-limited transport under steady-state conditions, is described. The model and the performance of the technique were studied in well-defined synthetic solutions containing simple organic hydrophilic ligands forming either inert (nitrilotriacetic acid), or labile complexes with Cu(II) (tartaric acid, malonic acid). The results were compared with theoretical predictions of thermodynamic species distribution in solution. Uncertainties on stability constants for copper speciation calculation were taken into account. The detection limits of the device are discussed. This work demonstrates that the flow-through cell is a reliable tool for copper speciation measurements in natural waters.     

Application of diffusive gradient in thin films technique (DGT) to measurement of mercury in aquatic systems

The diffusive gradient in thin films (DGT) technique was investigated and used to measure mercury concentration in river water. Mercury ions are covalently bound to amide nitrogen groups of commonly used polyacrylamide, which makes this gel unsuitable as a diffusive medium. In contrast, agarose gel was found as the diffusive gel for mercury measurements. Basic performance tests of agarose DGT verified the applicability of Fick's first law for DGT measurements. Two selective resins, Chelex-100 with iminodiacetic groups and Spheron-Thiol with thiol groups were used. The measured diffusion coefficient in agarose gel was close to that in water. The concentration of mercury in Svitava river measured by DGT with Speron-Thiol resin gel was higher (0.0116 ± 0.0009 μg l⁻¹) than those obtained by Chelex-100 (0.0042 ± 0.0005 μg l⁻¹). Different capture efficiencies of two adsorbents enable to estimate fractions of mercury bonded in different complexes in the river water. The concentrations of mercury found by DGT both Chelex-100 and Speron-Thiol resin gels are much lower than that measured directly in the river water (0.088 ± 0.012 μg l⁻¹). This difference indicates that DGT concerns inorganic ions and labile species only, and that it is not able to include inert organic species and colloids.     

Re-assessment of chelating ion-exchange resins for trace metal analysis of sea water

The behaviour of the chelating ion-exchange resin Chelex-100 for collection of trace metals from sea water has been studied by anodic stripping voltammetry after acid digestion of the sea water sample and the resin effluent. All the naturally occurring, electrochemically reducible species of Cu, Pb, Cd and Zn are chelated by the resin; this fraction of these metals is regarded as the dissolved fraction. Centrifugation showed that some of the metal liberated by acid digestion is associated with colloidal species. Neither this nor the metal adsorbed on fine particles is affected or removed by the chelating resin.     

Metal — organic interactions in sea water: an ecosystem experiment

A model plankton ecosystem was used to study the interactions of trace metals and organic compounds over a 10-day period during a phytoplankton bloom. Six bags of 1200–1 capacity were filled with coastal sea water. Three bags were spiked with copper (78, 157 and 314 nM) and one with copper (4.57 μM) plus nitrilotriacetic acid (10 μM). Samples were analysed for total dissolved copper, zinc, iron, nickel and manganese. The copper complexing capacity, determined by a method based on competition with Chelex-100 resin, was found to be essentially the same (35 nM) in all bags and independent of time. Organically bound complexes of copper (18% of the total), zinc (7%), nickel (4%) and iron (2%) were isolated by adsorption on Sep-Pak cartridges. The metal—organic complexes, were analysed on a liquid chromatograph interfaced to a multichannel atomic fluorescence detector. Organic complexes of zinc, iron and nickel were formed even in the presence of a large excess of copper. The organic and metal—organic compounds isolated by Sep-Pak cartridges became more polar as the bloom progressed.     

Continuous sonoassisted digestion coupled to flow injection minicolumn separation for the determination of total and labile Cu and Fe in fresh waters by flame atomic absorption spectrometry

An automatic on-line system is developed for the trace determination of copper and iron species in fresh waters by flame atomic absorption spectrometry using only 5 and 2?mL of sample, for copper and iron determination, respectively. This system, which includes a home-made minicolumn of commercially available resin containing aminomethylphosphonic acid functional groups (Chelite P), comprises two operational modes. The first, used for the determination of the dissolved labile fraction (free copper and iron ions and their weak complexes) is based on the elution of this fraction from a minicolumn containing the chelating resin loaded in-situ with the sample. The second mode is used for the determination of total trace copper and iron concentrations. This last mode is based on the retention/preconcentration of total metals on the Chelite P resin after on-line sonoassisted digestion of water samples acidified with nitric acid (0.5?mol?L^?1 final concentration) to break down metal organic complexes present in fresh waters as river waters. The figures of merit for copper and iron determination in both fractions are given and the obtained values are discussed. The analytical method was characterized and the limit of detection and limit of quantification for the two metals were 0.5 and 1.6?µg?L^?1 for Cu and 2.3 and 6.1?µg?L^?1 for Fe, respectively. The repeatability, expressed as relative standard deviation, was in the range 1.0–2.1%. The speciation scheme was applied to the analysis of river surface water samples collected in Galicia (Northwest, Spain).