Flow injection on-line hydrophobic sorbent extraction for flame atomic absorption spectrometric determination of cadmium in water samples

A flow injection system was developed for on-line sorbent extraction preconcentration and flame atomic absorption spectrometric determination of cadmium in natural water samples. The non-charged cadmium complex with diethyl-dithiophosphate (DDPA) was formed on-line in 0.1 mol L⁻¹ HNO₃ and retained on the hydrophobic poly-chlorotrifluoroethylene (PCTFE) sorbent material. The adsorbed complex was eluted with isobutyl methylketone (IBMK) and injected directly into the nebulizer via a flow compensation unit. All major chemical and flow parameters affecting the complex formation adsorption and elution as well as interference were studied and optimized. By processing 2.4 mL of sample, the enhancement factor was 39 and the sampling frequency was 50 h⁻¹. For 30 s preconcentration time the detection limit was 0.3 μg L⁻¹ and the relative standard deviation at 5.0 μg L⁻¹ Cd concentration level was 2.9%. The calibration curve was linear in the range 0.8–40.0 μg L⁻¹. The accuracy of the method was estimated by analyzing a certified reference material NIST-CRM 1643d (Trace elements in water). Good recoveries were obtained for spiked natural-water and waste-water samples. Correspondence: Aristidis N. Anthemidis, Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University, GR-Thessaloniki 54124, Greece