Preconcentration and Determination of Trace Nickel Using 1-(2-Pyridylazo)-2-Naphtol (PAN) Immobilized on Surfactant-Coated Alumina

A microcolumn of alumina modified with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and 1-(2-pyridylazo)-2-naphthol (PAN) was prepared for the preconcentration of trace nickel from water samples for a flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) determination. Under optimized conditions (pH = 4.0; flow rate, 5 mL min^–1) nickel (II) was retained on the column. The nickel collected on the column was eluted with 5 mL of 0.5 M nitric acid. Recovery was greater than 96.7%. A concentration factor of 300 can be achieved by passing 1500 mL of sample through the microcolumn. The relative standard deviation (ten replicate analyses) at the 40 ng mL^–1 level for nickel was 2.4%, and the corresponding limit of detection (based on 3) was 0.06 ng mL^–1. The method was applied to the determination of Ni in waste and mineral waters.