An efficient approach to designing and optimizing the analysis of Ni(II) by AdCSV in seawater

A highly sensitive voltammetric method was developed for the determination of nickel in seawater at nanomolar concentrations. The measurement is based on the differential pulse cathodic adsorptive stripping of Ni(II) complexed with pyridoxal salicyloylhydrazone at a hanging mercury drop electrode. Optimal conditions were found following a two-step study strategy based on a Plackett Burman design and subsequently a modified simplex method. They were: deposition potential −0.8 V; deposition time 120 s; differential pulse scan mode; pulse amplitude −0.07 V; pulse time 0.04 s; voltage step 0.017 V; time interval for voltage step 0.05 s; supporting electrolyte ammonium chloride/ammonia (0.08 M, pH = 8.9) and concentration of PSH 5.32 × 10⁻⁶ M. The response of the system was found to be linear in a range of Ni concentrations from 0 to 306.7 × 10⁻⁹ M. The detection limit was found to be 0.04 × 10⁻⁹ M of Ni(II). The precision of the method was 1.4% for 3.4 × 10⁻⁸ M of Ni(II) and 1.48% for the blank at a significance level of 95% (n = 9). The method was free from interferences of inorganic salts and trace metals at usual concentrations in seawater. The application to seawater was demonstrated by analysis of CRM 505 and LGC 6016 certified reference estuarine water and real seawater samples from Tangier Bay (Morocco).     

A multisyringe flow injection Winkler-based spectrophotometric analyzer for in-line monitoring of dissolved oxygen in seawater

An integrated analyzer based on the multisyringe flow injection analysis approach is proposed for the automated determination of dissolved oxygen in seawater. The entire Winkler method including precipitation of manganese(II) hydroxide, fixation of dissolved oxygen, dissolution of the oxidized manganese hydroxide precipitate, and generation of iodine and tri-iodide ion are in-line effected within the flow network. Spectrophotometric quantification of iodine and tri-iodide at the isosbestic wavelength of 466 nm renders enhanced method reliability. The calibration function is linear up to 19 mg L⁻¹ dissolved oxygen and an injection frequency of 17 per hour is achieved. The multisyringe system features a highly satisfying signal stability with repeatabilities of 2.2% RSD that make it suitable for continuous determination of dissolved oxygen in seawater. Compared to the manual starch-end-point titrimetric Winkler method and early reported automated systems, concentrations and consumption of reagents and sample are reduced up to hundredfold. The versatility of the multisyringe assembly was exploited in the implementation of an ancillary automatic batch-wise Winkler titrator using a single syringe of the module for accurate titration of the released iodine/tri-iodide with thiosulfate.     

Determination of iron in seawater by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry and atomic fluorescence spectrometry: A comparative study

Two methods available for direct determination of total Fe in seawater at low concentration level have been examined: electrothermal atomization atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS) and electrothermal atomization laser excited atomic fluorescence spectrometry (ETA-LEAFS). In a first part, we have optimized experimental conditions of ETAAS (electrothermal program, matrix chemical modification) for the determination of Fe in seawater by minimizing the chemical interference effects and the magnitude of the simultaneous background absorption signal. By using the best experimental conditions, a detection limit of 80 ng L⁻¹ (20 μL, 3σ) for total Fe concentration was obtained by ETAAS. Using similar experimental conditions (electrothermal program, chemical modification), we have optimized experimental conditions for the determination of Fe by LEAFS. The selected experimental conditions for ETA-LEAFS: excitation wavelength (296.69 nm), noise attenuation and adequate background correction led to a detection limit (3σ) of 3 ng L⁻¹ (i.e. 54 pM) for total Fe concentration with the use a 20 μL seawater sample. For the two methods, concentration values obtained for the analysis of Fe in a NASS-5 (0.2 μg L⁻¹) seawater sample were in good agreement with the certified values.     

Kinetic-spectrophotometric method for the determination of trace amounts of bromide in seawater

A novel simple, sensitive and rapid kinetic-spectrophotometric method is proposed for the determination of trace amounts of bromide. The method is based on its catalytic effect on the oxidation of methylene blue (MB) by hydrogen peroxide in strongly acidic solution. The oxidation reaction is activated by large amounts of chloride and can be monitored spectrophotometrically by measuring the decrease in the absorbance of MB at 746 nm. The determination of bromide is performed by a fixed-time method at the first 100 s from the initiation of the reaction. Unlike other kinetic-spectrophotometric methods for the determination of bromide, the proposed method does not require heating the solution. Bromide can be determined in the range from 80 to 960 μg l⁻¹ with the detection limit of 35 μg l⁻¹. The relative standard deviation of ten replicate determination of 480 μg l⁻¹ bromide was 1.4%. The influence of potential interfering ions was studied. The proposed method was satisfactorily applied to the determination of bromide in seawater without interfering effect from chloride ion.     

Comparison of liquid-liquid extraction, solid-phase extraction and co-precipitation preconcentration methods for the determination of cadmium, copper, nickel, lead and zinc in seawater

Three major types of pre-concentration methods were evaluated and optimised for the extraction and determination of Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn from seawater samples. The traditional APDC/DDDC-Freon liquid-liquid extraction method showed excellent results for a multi-elemental analysis. However, the technique is labour consuming, very sensitive to operational conditions, employs environmentally unsafe and expensive solvents and requires large sample volumes. In the solid phase extraction method, the performances of a traditional Amberlite XAD-4 and a novel Dowex Optipore V-493 were evaluated. Application of Dowex Optipore V-493 resin provided better results at low concentrations than the generally used Amberlite XAD-4 resin using low sample volumes. However, the presence of natural organic compounds may decrease extraction efficiency of both resins for Cu. Thus, a pre-treatment with UV irradiation is advantageous for samples with high organic content. Cobalt co-precipitation methods showed good Cu and Ni recoveries, but gave poor results for Cd at low concentrations. In addition, high sample volumes are required. Both solid phase and co-precipitation methods showed unsatisfactory results in determination of Pb. Finally, a summary of methods advantages are given for choosing the most suitable method.     

利用LNG冷能的间接冷冻法海水淡化流程比较

淡水资源缺乏已成为全球性问题,海水淡化方法的研究也日益引起重视。液化天然气在气化时有大量冷能可以利用,考虑到冷冻法海水淡化需要大量冷能,可以把LNG的冷能和冷冻法海水淡化结合起来,形成利用LNG能冷的冷冻法海水淡化流程。文中以间接冷冻法为例,介绍了LNG冷能在海水淡化中的利用;并针对系统中冷媒是否相变而提出了无相变流程和有相变流程,通过HYSYS软件进行模拟,比较分析了各自的优缺点。结果说明无相变流程设备简单、控制方便,但冷媒质量流量大;有相变流程冷媒质量流量小,但流程、设备与控制均较复杂,气相部分体积流量较大,使得气态管路直径较大,相应的换热器尺寸也会更大。     

Synthesis and evaluation of molecularly imprinted polymers for organotin compounds: a screening method for tributyltin detection in seawater

The environmental impact of some organotin compounds (OTC) has given particulate importance to analytical studies. This paper reports the first attempt to apply the emerging molecular imprinting technology to this field. Several imprinted polymers have been synthesised by the non-covalent free radical approach using sodium methacrylate (NaMA) or 4-vinylpyridine (4-VP) as monomers in the presence of TBT as template molecule in three different polymerisation media (toluene, acetonitrile and methanol/water). The ability of the polymers synthesised to retain and distinguish TBT from its degradation products has been evaluated and optimized. The results clearly showed the presence of cavities within the polymeric matrix allowing specific recognition of TBT. Cross-reactivity from other Sn species (monobutyltin (MBT), dibutyltin (DBT) and inorganic Sn) has also been evaluated. Rapid and direct differentiation of TBT from its main degradation products in seawater was achieved. The analytical characteristics included linearity (0.05-50 μg l⁻¹), a pre-concentration factor of 150, and a quantification limit of 0.04 μg l⁻¹ for 1 l.     

AGNES: A technique for determining the concentration of free metal ions. The case of Zn(II) in coastal Mediterranean seawater

Absence of Gradients and Nernstian Equilibrium Stripping (AGNES) is a recently suggested electroanalytical technique designed for the determination of the free concentration of heavy metals (such as Zn, Cd or Pb) which is here developed and applied to seawater samples. A key improvement for the implementation of AGNES with complex matrices is the development of a new blank, called the shifted blank (presented in this work for the first time), which can be applied to the same sample where the measurement is intended. The careful selection of the required parameters for the determination of the free Zn concentration (or activity) at the nanomolar level is described in detail. The methodology has been validated with a synthetic solution containing Zn and nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) and then applied, as a first case, to two coastal seawater samples taken close to Barcelona and Tarragona (Catalonia, North-Eastern Spain) finding values in the range of 1-3 nM, representing around 25% of total Zn. This technique can, in the near future, be crucial in helping to elucidate the role of the free zinc(II) concentration in natural waters.     

Determination of isotopic composition of dissolved copper in seawater by multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry after pre-concentration using an ethylenediaminetriacetic acid chelating resin

Copper is an essential trace metal that shows a vertical recycled-scavenged profile in the ocean. To help elucidate the biogeochemical cycling of Cu in the present and past oceans, it is important to determine the distribution of Cu isotopes in seawater. However, precise isotopic analysis of Cu has been impaired by the low concentrations of Cu as well as co-existing elements that interfere with measurements by multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS). The objective of this study is to develop a simple Cu pre-concentration method using Nobias-chelate PA1 resin (Hitachi High Technologies). This extraction followed by anion exchange, allows precise analysis of the Cu isotopic composition in seawater. Using this method, Cu was quantitatively concentrated from seawater and >99.9999% of the alkali and alkaline earth metals were removed. The technique has a low procedural blank of 0.70 ng for Cu for a 2 L sample and the precision of the Cu isotopic analysis was ±0.07‰ (±2SD, n = 6). We applied this method to seawater reference materials (i.e., CASS-5 and NASS-6) and seawater samples obtained from the northwestern Pacific Ocean. The range of dissolved δ⁶⁵Cu was 0.40–0.68‰.     

Determination of the Natural Dissolved Concentration of Zirconium in Seawater by Adsorptive Stripping Voltammetry

A voltammetric method was developed for zirconium determination as Zr(IV)‐cupferron‐oxalate‐diphenylguanidine complex based on adsorptive accumulation at the HMDE (E_peak=?0.95 V). The supporting electrolyte was a mixture of acetate/acetic acid (pH 4.6) and ammonium acetate (pH 5.7) solutions. E_ads=?0.6 V (vs. Ag/AgCl), t_ads=400 s, 10 mV s^?1 scan rate, and DP mode were the main parameters. The linear range was 0.033 to 3.3×10^?9 mol L^?1, and the LOD and LOQ (t_ads=400 s) were 0.77 and 1.6×10^?11 mol L^?1, respectively. The method was adequate for seawater samples, although not sufficiently sensitive for surface waters.