Column chromatographic separation of metal ions on 1-(2-pyridylazo)-2-napthol modified amberlite IR-120 resin

Cation exchange resin, Amberlite IR-120, has been modified by the sorption of 1-(2-pyridylazo)-2-napthol (PAN) at pH 6.0. The optimum conditions for the sorption of PAN on the resin have been established. The maximum sorption of PAN was found to be 8.70 micromol/g. In order to explore the separation possibilities of the material, distribution coefficients of a number of metal ions were determined in various solvent systems. A number of binary separations of metal ions of analytical interest have been carried out using columns packed with this material. In order to demonstrate the practical utility of this material, Zn2+ and Hg2+ have been selectively separated from synthetic mixtures of metal ions and assay of Zn2+ and Fe2+ in commercially available pharmaceutical tablets; namely Fesofor-Z and FE-Z, was carried out.