Validation of the determination of tin by <Emphasis Type="Italic">k</Emphasis><Subscript>0</Subscript>-instrumental neutron activation analysis in foodstuff

Several recent intercomparisons and certification exercises have shown that the determination of tin in e.g. food samples and plastics is not straightforward. k ₀-Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (k ₀-INAA) offers some intrinsic quality control opportunities for the determination of the tin content in samples since several monitoring radioisotopes are formed. In this work we will discuss the validation of the determination of tin by k ₀-INAA using different reference materials. The results show that only few of these radioisotopes are reliable in terms of accuracy and that from a survey of the tin content in a range of canned foods detection limits as low as 2 mg/kg can be achieved.     

3-Hydroxypyridine-2-aldehyde 2-pyridylhydrazone as an analytical reagent: Fluorimetric Determination of Aluminium in Natural Waters

The properties of 3-hydroxypyridine-2-aldehyde 2-pyridylhydrazone as a spectrophotometric and fluorimetric reagent are described. The four ionization constants are reported. A rapid procedure for the fluorimetric determination of 2—300 ppb(7.2 × 10^-81.1 × 10^-5 M) of aluminium in acetate-buffered medium is described (λ_ex = 390 nm, λ_em = 475 nm). Interferences have been evaluated, and the procedure has been applied satisfactorily to the determination of aluminium in potable, fresh and sea waters.     

Determination of tungsten and tin ions after preconcentration by flotation

A highly sensitive and selective combined method of flotation followed by spectrophotometry/d.c. polarography for the determination of tungsten and tin ions in acid and alkaline waste waters and hydrometallurgical solutions is presented here. Both kinds of ions are coprecipitated in the analyte solution with zirconium hydroxide after addition of ZrOCl₂ solution and ammonia. Afterwards, the collector precipitate is separated from the aqueous phase and preconcentrated by flotation for which sodium oleate and a frother are added. The precipitate is dissolved in a small amount of acid, with the organic reagents being destroyed by oxidation. The enrichment factor of the proposed technique is 100, with variations possible. Recovery is 94% for tungsten and 99% for tin. Spectrophotometry of the thiocyanate complex and d.c. polarography are applied as determination techniques for tungsten and tin, respectively. Detection limits attainable by this technique are 6 ng · ml^–1 for tungsten and 5 ng · ml^–1 for tin for the initial sample.     

The automatic determination of silicate-silicon in natural waters with special reference to sea water

An automatic method using a Technicon AutoAnalyzer is described for the determination of silicate in natural waters in the range 0–4 mg Si/l. It is based on the conversion of silicate to β-silicomolybdic acid which is reduced by means of a metolsulphite reagent to molybdenum blue. Interference of phosphate is prevented by oxalic acid. The relationship between silicate concentration and optical density is linear in both fresh waters and sea water. With sea water the salt error of the method is ca. 5% at a salinity of 35‰ A coefficient of variation of 0.8% was found at a silicate concentration of 1 mg Si/l with both fresh and sea waters.     

Simultaneous Determination of Antimony(III) and Molybdenum(VI) by Adsorptive Stripping Voltammetry Using Quercetin as Complexing Agent

A sensitive and selective voltammetric method for simultaneous determination of Sb(III) and Mo(VI) using Quercetin (Q) as complexing agent is described. Optimal conditions were found to be: pH 3.7, C_Q=6.0 µmol L^?1 and E_acc=?0.10 V. The LOD (3σ) for Sb(III) are 0.076 and 0.040 µg L^?1, whereas for Mo(VI) are 0.086 and 0.048 µg L^?1 with t_acc of 60 and 120 s, respectively. The method was validated using synthetic sea water (ASTM D665) and was applied to the determination of Sb(III) and Mo(VI) in natural waters with satisfactory results.     

Determination of Butyltins in Sea Water by Gas Chromatography with Flame Photometric Detection

Use of a gas chromatograph with a flame-photometric detector (GC-FPD) is described to determine butyltin compounds in sea water. The butyltins in an acidified water sample (pH 3.0) are first complexed with tropolone, followed by solid-phase extraction (SPE) with a tropolone-treated C₁₈ cartridge. HCI at a small concentration is then added to the concentrated SPE eluate before GC analysis. This procedure is simple and off-column derivatization of analytes is not required. The organotins, viz. mono-, di- and tributyltin, are separated as their respective chlorides on a capillary column (HP-1) and are detected with a flame-photometric detector and an interference filter at 610 nm. Recoveries of the three butyltin species are quantitative (> 90%). Based on a sea water sample 200-mL, the detection limits for mono-, di- and tributyltin are 6,4 and 3 ng tin L^?1, respectively. This method is applied to analysis of trace butyltins in various samples of sea water.     

Preconcentration by coprecipitation of arsenic and tin in natural waters with a Ni–pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate complex and their direct determination by solid-sampling atomic-absorption spectrometry

A method for the determination of trace amounts of arsenic and tin in natural waters is described. Trace amounts of arsenic and tin were preconcentrated by coprecipitation with a Ni–ammonium pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (APDC) complex. The coprecipitates obtained were directly analyzed by graphite-furnace atomic-absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) using the Ni–APDC complex solid-sampling technique. The coprecipitation conditions used for the trace amounts of arsenic and tin in natural water were investigated in detail. It was found that arsenic and tin at sub-ng mL^–1 levels were both coprecipitated quantitatively by Ni(PDC)₂ in the pH range 2–3. The concentration factors by coprecipitation reached approximately 40,000 when 2 mg nickel was added as a carrier element to 500 mL of the water sample. The proposed method has been applied to the determination of trace amounts of arsenic and tin in river water and seawater reference materials, and the detection limits for arsenic and tin, which were calculated from three times of the standard deviation of the procedural blanks, are 0.02 ng mL^–1 and 0.04 ng mL^–1, respectively, for 500-mL volumes of water sample.     

Determination of very low levels of inorganic and organic mercury in natural waters by cold-vapor atomic absorption spectrometry after preconcentration on a chelating resin

Inorganic and organic mercury at ng l^?1 levels in fresh waters are collected simultaneously on a column of a dithiocarbamate-treated resin and quantitatively eluted with slightly acidic aqueous thiourea solution. Mercury vapor is generated from inorganic mercury by reduction with alkaline SnCl₂ solution, and from inorganic and organic mercury with a CdCl₂SnCl₂ solution, for determination by cold-vapor atomic absorption spectrometry. The range of determination is 0.2–5,000 ppt (ng l^?1) for 20-l water samples.     

Determination of inorganic tin and organotin compounds by graphite-furnace atomic absorption spectrometry with a new matrix modifier

The determination of total tin in water samples by graphite-furnace atomic absorption spectrometry is described. A matrix modifier containing 0.4% (w/v) potassium dichromate and 0.2% ammonium dihydrogenphosphate in 2% nitric acid is proposed. Interferences from major ions in natural fresh waters decreased and the sensitivity is greatly improved. The procedure is compatible with all the commercial injection devices and requires no pretreatment of the graphite furnace or use of a stabilized temperature platform. The 3σ detection limit is 0.62 ng Sn ml^?1, and calibration is linear up to 30 ng ml^?1 tin.     

The determination of arsenic by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry with a graphite furnace: Part 2. Determination of arsenic(III) and arsenic(V) after extraction

A procedure is described for the sequential determination of arsenite and arsenate in samples of natural waters. It is based on the extraction of arsenic(III) with ammonium sec-butyl dithiophosphate and measurement, after re-extraction into water, by graphitefurnace atomic absorption spectrometry. Reduction of arsenic(V) allows its subsequent determination. The method is applied to fresh and sea water samples. The detection limit is 6 ngl^-1.     

Emission to air of volatile organotins from tributyltin‐contaminated harbour sediments

An analytical method for determining the presence in air of volatile forms (e.g. chlorides) of tributyltin (TBT) and that of methylbutyltins Me _nBu_(4?n)Sn (n = 1–3) was developed and used to establish whether dredged harbour sediments contaminated with TBT served as sources of air pollution with respect to organotin compounds. The method was based on active sampling of the air being analysed and sorption of analytes onto Poropak‐N. Sorbed methylbutyltins were extracted with dichloromethane and analysed by gas chromatography using flame photometric detection. Other butyltins were converted into butyltin hydrides prior to analysis by gas chromatography. It was shown that TBT‐contaminated sediments from Marsamxett Harbour, Malta, placed in 0.5 l chambers through which air was displaced by continuous pumping for 11 days released mainly methylbutyltins, with concentrations (as tin) reaching maximum 48 h mean values of 8.7 (Me₃BuSn), 22.1 (Me₂Bu₂Sn) and 93.0 ng m^?3(MeBu₃Sn) being measured. Other volatile forms of TBT, dibutyltin and monobutyltin were detected in the headspace air, but very infrequently and at much lower tin concentrations (<2 ng m^?3). It was also shown that methylbutyltins dissolved in sea‐water ([Sn] = 0.2 to 400 ng l^?1) were very difficult to exsolve from this medium, even on prolonged evaporation of the solutions using mechanical agitation and active ventilation. The results suggest that emission of methylbutyltins from contaminated sediments probably occurs only from the surface of the material. The environmental implications of these findings in the management of TBT‐polluted harbour sediments are discussed. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A Robust Flow-Based System for the Spectrophotometric Determination of Cr(VI) in Recreational Waters

A flow-based method for the spectrophotometric determination of chromium (VI) in recreational waters with different salinities was developed. Chromium can occur in the environment in different oxidation states with different related physiological properties. With regard to chromium, the speciation is particularly important, as the hexavalent chromium is considered to be carcinogenic. To achieve that purpose, the use of the diphenylcarbazide (DPC) selective colored reaction with the hexavalent chromium was the chosen strategy. The main objective was to develop a direct and simple spectrophotometric method that could cope with the analysis of different types of environmental waters, within different salinity ranges (fresh to marine waters). The potential interference of metal ions, that can usually be present in environmental waters, was assessed and no significant interferences were observed (<10%). For a complete Cr(VI) determination (three replicas) cycle, the corresponding reagents consumption was 75 µg of DPC, 9 mg of ethanol and 54 mg of sulfuric acid. Each cycle takes about 5 min, including the system clean-up. The limit of detection was 6.9 and 12.2 µg L⁻¹ for waters with low and high salt content, respectively. The method was applied for the quantification of chromium (VI) in both fresh and marine water, and the results were in agreement with the reference procedure.     

Speciation of inorganic and tetramethyltin by headspace solid‐phase microextraction and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

A headspace solid‐phase microextraction (HS‐SPME) method coupled to GC‐MS was developed in order to determine trace levels of tetramethyltin (TeMT) and inorganic tin (iSn) after ethylation to tetraethyltin (TeET) in various matrices. The derivatization of iSn and the extraction of both TeMT and iSn as TeET were performed in one step. Sodium tetraethylborate (NaBEt₄) was used as derivatization agent and the volatile derivatives were absorbed on a PDMS‐coated fused silica fiber. The conditions for the HS‐SPME procedure were optimized in order to gain in repeatability and sensitivity. Several critical parameters of GC‐MS were also studied. The detection of TeMT and iSn as TeET peaks was performed by the SIM mode. The precision of the proposed method is satisfactory providing RSD values below 10% for both tin species and good linearity up to 10 μg/L. The developed method was successfully applied to the determination of tin species in several samples like canned fish, fish tissues, aquatic plants, canned mineral water and sea water. The proposed HS‐SPME‐GC‐MS method was proved suitable to monitor the concentration levels of toxic tin compounds in environmental and biological samples.     

Speciation analysis of thallium in water samples after separation/preconcentration with the Empore™ chelating disk

A simple, reliable and novel solid phase extraction procedure using the Empore? chelating disk has been developed for determination of Tl(I) and Tl(III) in environmental water samples by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS). The influence of humic acids on separation/preconcentration of thallium species with the Empore? chelating disk is investigated. The preconcentration factor and detection limit are 500 and 5?ng?L^?1, respectively. The recoveries are in the range 93–103% for mineral, pond, sea, snowmelt, waste waters at 28–500?ng?L^?1 Tl and in the range 82–112% for river waters at 18–28?ng?L^?1 Tl.     

Determination of Trace Butyltin Compounds in Sea Water by Gas Chromatography-Atomic Absorption Spectrometry

A gas chromatography-atomic absorption spectrometric (GC-AAS) method has been developed for the determination of trace butyltin compounds in sea water. Aqueous butyltin compounds were reduced to the volatile hydride forms by NaBH₄ and were extracted with dichloromethane simultaneously. The dichloromethane extract was concentrated under reduced pressure, followed by direct injection into the GC-AAS system for analysis. The butyltin species were separated with a 2-m glass column packed with 2% OV-101 on Chromosorb G HP (100-120 mesh). Following GC separation, each species was transferred into an electrothermally heated (800 °C) quartz furnace for atomization. The tin atoms produced from individual butyltin compound were detected at 224.6 nm by an atomic absorption spectrometer. With a sea water sample (1 L), the detection limits (3σ) for monobutyltin, dibutyltin and tributyltin were approximately 20, 20 and 70 ng Sn L^?1, respectively. The method has been applied to the analysis of trace butyltin compounds in the sea water of Keelung Harbor.     

The degree of efficiency, the degree of reproducibility and the equivalence probability in statistical comparisons of analytical methods for the determination of tin in tin ores

Summary In most cases investigations concerning the reproducibility of different analytical methods for the determination of tin in tin ores consist only in comparisons of means, i.e. detection of systematic errors. The fact that the methods use different calibrating procedures, on the one hand, and that their accuracy varies, on the other hand, makes it necessary, to look for more sensitive criteria. For this purpose, the degree of efficiency regarding the determination of the true mean of a reference method, the degree of (mutual) reproducibility, and the equivalence probability are defined and their meaning is statistically interpreted. The degree of efficiency ɛ of any two methods is defined as the ratio of their mean square errors in determining the true mean of a reference method. This quantity can be described by the ratio of the upper bounds for the probabilities of an error by the two methods. The degree of reproducibility P* of different analytical methods we understand as minimal probability of comparable measuring results. The equivalence probability P_e is defined as a-posteriori probability of the hypothesis that the two distribution functions considered are identical. The criteria ɛ, P* and P_e seem to be more suitable for statistical comparisons as compared to known statistical standard procedures, such as the t-test criterion. The applicability of these quantities was checked by the example of 6 different methods for the determination of tin in tin ores. For this purpose, it was necessary to evaluate objectively the efficiency of sample division in order to get reproducible final samples for analysis using the hierarchical two-way classification of variance analysis. General knowledge concerning the analytical methods used could be completed.     

Third-order derivative spectrophotometric determination of phosphate as ternary complex with molybdate and rhodamine 6G

This paper describes a third-order derivative Spectrophotometric procedure for the determination of traces of phosphate, based on the formation of a ternary ion-association complex by reaction of phosphate with rhodamine 6G in the presence of molybdate. The pink complex is readily formed in 0.08–0.16M H₂SO₄ medium and remained stable for 2 h. The influence of various instrumental parameters and reaction conditions for maximum colour development are discussed. The few interfering ions can be masked by the addition of appropriate reagents. The procedure is simple, rapid and reliable and allows the determination of 1.5 g l^–1 of phosphate. The relative standard deviation for the determination of 0.08 mg l^–1 of phosphate was 1.1%. The method is applicable to the determination of phosphate in river water, sea water, drinking water, milk powder and standard reference materials.     

The selection of a chemical modifier for vanadium determination in various types of natural waters by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

Various modifiers (ascorbic acid, NH₄NO₃, EDTA, NH₄SCN and a mixture of Pd/Mg(NO₃)₂) are compared for the accurate determination of vanadium in natural waters by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry. The interferences of compounds commonly present in natural waters, such as NaCl, CaCl₂, MgCl₂ and FeCl₃ are studied. Matrix interferences were effectively eliminated by ascorbic acid or ammonium nitrate. For comparison, the standard addition method was applied without a modifier which provided satisfactory results. The accuracy of the method was confirmed by analysis of certified reference materials of waters (‘Trace Metals in Drinking Water’ and SRM 1643e ‘Trace Elements in Water’) as well as by recoveries of vanadium spiked to tap water, mineral water, synthetic riverine and synthetic sea waters. The limits of detection and characteristic masses for ascorbic acid and ammonium nitrate as the modifiers were 1.71 and 1.56?µg?L^?1 and 70 and 67?pg, respectively. Recovery was in the range of 98–105% and RSD was less than 5%.     

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).     

Microchemical determination of lodate and iodide in sea waters by flow injection analysis

A flow injection analysis method for iodate and iodide in sea water is described. The system involves spectrophotometric detection based on the catalytic, fading effect of either iodate or iodide on the indicator reaction of iron (III) thiocyanate and nitrite. With and without an anion-exchange column in the flow conduit, the system allows the determination of iodate and total iodine, respectively; iodide can be found by difference. Both iodate-iodine and total iodine can be determined in the range 0.75 to 150 g/1 on the sea water basis with analysis times of 20 min for iodate-iodine and 9 min for total iodine. The RSDs are within 1.3% for both iodate and iodide. Results are presented for the determination of iodate and iodide in sea waters and some brines associated with natural methane gas evolution.