Hiroaki Matsumiya

A novel fluorescence reagent, 10-hydroxybenzo[h]quinoline-7-sulfonate, for selective determination of beryllium(II) ion at pg cm(-3) levels.

A facile method has been developed for the highly sensitive and selective determination of ultratrace Be(II) ion using a new fluorimetric reagent, 10-hydroxybenzo[h]quinoline-7-sulfonate (HBQS), under extremely alkaline conditions, at pH 12.0. This reagent is quite suitable for the very small ion, Be(II), to form a 6-membered chelate ring, compatible with a high fluorescence yield. The stoichiometry of the chelate is 1:1 for Be-HBQS at pH 12.0. The calibration graph gave a wide linear dynamic range, 2-100 nmol dm(-3) of Be(II) ion with the detection limit (3s blank) of 0.52 nmol dm(-3), or 4.7 pg cm(-3). The excellent sensitivity and toughness toward the matrix influence were demonstrated using the artificial sample solutions for air-dust. Coupled with the simple masking procedure using EDTA, the method enables one to determine Be(II) ion at nanomolar levels in the presence of metals at the natural abundance levels in air-dust samples, typically Al, Ca, Cu, Fe, Mg, Pb, and Zn at 130, 150, 1.0, 70, 33, 3.0, and 8.0 micromol dm(-3), respectively, in the final solution. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of Be in urban air.

Determination of trace impurities in high-purity iron using salting-out of polyoxyethylene-type surfactants

To an iron sample solution was added polyoxyethylene-4-isononylphenoxy ether (PONPE, nonionic surfactant, average number of ethylene oxides 7.5) and the surfactant was aggregated by the addition of lithium chloride. The iron(III) matrix was collected into the condensed surfactant phase in >99.9% yields, leaving trace metals [e.g., Ti(IV), Cr(III), Mn(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), Zn(II), Cd(II), Pb(II), and Bi(III)] in the aqueous phase. After removing the surfactant phase by centrifugation, the remaining trace metals were concentrated onto an iminodiacetic acid-type chelating resin. The trace metals were desorbed with dilute nitric acid for the determination by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry or graphite-furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. The proposed separation method allowed the analysis of high-purity iron metals for trace impurities at low microg g(-1) to ng g(-1) levels.

Ionic liquid-based extraction followed by graphite-furnace atomic absorption spectrometry for the determination of trace heavy metals in high-purity iron metal

The analysis of high-purity materials for trace impurities is an important and challenging task. The present paper describes a facile and sensitive method for the determination of trace heavy metals in high-purity iron metal. Trace heavy metals in an iron sample solution were rapidly and selectively preconcentrated by the extraction into a tiny volume of an ionic liquid [1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide] for the determination by graphite-furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS). A nitrogen-donating neutral ligand, 2,4,6-tris(2-pyridyl)-1,3,5-triazine (TPTZ), was found to be effective in the ionic liquid-based selective extraction, allowing the nearly complete (~99.8%) elimination of the iron matrix. The combination with the optimized GFAAS was successful. The detectability reached sub-μg g(-1) levels in iron metal. The novel use of TPTZ in ionic liquid-based extraction followed by GFAAS was successfully applied to the determination of traces of Co, Ni, Cu, Cd, and Pb in certified reference materials for high-purity iron metal.

Acid–base properties of sulfur-bridged calix[4]arenes

The acid–base properties of sulfur-bridged calixarenes, thiacalix[4]arenetetrasulfonate (4) and its sulfonyl analogue (5), have been investigated via potentio- and spectrophoto-metric studies, comparing them with the conventional methylene-bridged calix[4]arenetetrasulfonate (3). The titration curves revealed the acidity of the phenolic OH groups in the calix[4]arenes 3–5 to be in the order: 3 < 4 ≪ 5. In particular, the oxidation of the bridging sulfur to sulfone strongly enhanced the acidity of the sulfur-bridged calix[4]arene; the pKa,n values (n = 2–4) of the sulfone-bridged 5 were lower by 7 pK units than those of the sulfide-bridged 4. The effects of the linkage groups on the acidity of the calix[4]arenes are discussed from the structural and electronic viewpoints, such as the macrocyclic ring size, the hydrogen bonding manner, and the resonance of the linkage moiety.