Valfredo Azevedo Lemos

Separation and preconcentration procedures for the determination of lead using spectrometric techniques: A review

Lead is recognized worldwide as a poisonous metal. Thus, the determination of this element is often required in environmental, biological, food and geological samples. However, these analyses are difficult because such samples contain relatively low concentrations of lead, which fall below the detection limit of conventional analytical techniques such as flame atomic absorption spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. Several preconcentration procedures to determine lead have therefore been devised, involving separation techniques such as liquid-liquid extraction, solid phase extraction, coprecipitation and cloud point extraction. Citing 160 references, this paper offers a critical review of preconcentration procedures for determining lead using spectroanalytical techniques.

Amberlite XAD-2 functionalized with 2-aminothiophenol as a new sorbent for on-line preconcentration of cadmium and copper.

A new functionalized resin has been applied in an on-line preconcentration system for copper and cadmium determination. Amberlite XAD-2 was functionalized by coupling it to 2-aminothiophenol (AT-XAD) by means of an NN spacer. This resin was packed in a minicolumn and used as sorbent in the on-line system. Metal ions were sorbed in the minicolumn, from which it could be eluted directly to the nebulizer-burner system of the flame atomic absorption spectrometer (FAAS). Elution of Cd(II) and Cu(II) from minicolumn can be made with 0.50moll(-1) HCl or HNO(3). The enrichment factors obtained were 28 (Cd) and 14 (Cu), for 60s preconcentration time, and 74 (Cd) and 35 (Cu), if used 180 s preconcentration time. The proposed procedure allowed the determination of cadmium and copper with detection limits of 0.14 and 0.54mugl(-1), respectively, when used preconcentration periods of 180s. The effects of foreign ions on the adsorption of these metal ions are reported. The validation of the procedure was carried out by analysis of certified reference material. This procedure was applied to cadmium and copper determination in natural, drink and tap water samples.

New Materials for Solid‐Phase Extraction of Trace Elements

Abstract The development of new sorbents and their application in preconcentration methods for determination of trace elements is a subject of great interest. This review summarizes and discusses several analytical methods involving the preparation and use of new solid‐phase materials. The performance and general properties of sorbents such as carbon nanotubes, imprinted ions, biosorbents, nanoparticles, and fullerene are discussed in detail. The perspective and future trends in the use of these materials are also considered.

Copper determination in natural water samples by using FAAS after preconcentration onto amberlite XAD-2 loaded with calmagite.

A procedure for separation and preconcentration of trace amounts of copper in natural water samples, has been proposed. It is based on the adsorption of copper(II) ions onto a column of Amberlite XAD-2 resin loaded with calmagite reagent. This way amounts of copper within the range from 0.0125 to 25.0 microg, in a sample volume of 25 to 250 ml, and pH from 3.7 to 10.0 was concentrated as calmagite complex in a column of 0.50 g of Amberlite XAD-2 resin. Copper (II) ion was desorpted by using 5.0 ml of 2 mol l(-1) hydrochloric acid. Detection and determination limits of the proposed procedure for 250 ml sample volume were 0.15 and 0.50 microg l(-1), respectively. Selectivity test showed that (in the indicated concentration), calcium(II) (500 mg l(-1)), magnesium(II) (500 mg l(-1)), strontium(II) (50 mg l(-1)), iron(III) (10 mg l(-1)), nickel(II) (10 mg l(-1)), cobalt(II) (10 mg l(-1)), cadmium(II) (10 mg l(-1)) and lead(II) (10 mg l(-1)) did not interfere in copper determination by this procedure. Precision of the method, evaluated as the relative standard deviation by analyzing a series of seven replicates, was 2.42% for a copper mass of 1.0 microg in a sample volume of 100 ml. The accuracy of the proposed procedure was evaluated by means of copper determination in reference biological samples. The achieved results were in good agreement with certified values. The extractor system had a sorption capacity of 1.59 mumol of copper per gram of resin loaded with calmagite. The proposed procedure was applied for copper determination by FAAS in natural water samples. Samples were collected from different places of Salvador city, Bahia, Brazil. The achieved recovery, measured by the standard addition technique, showed that the proposed procedure had good accuracy. A good enrichment factor (50x) and simplicity are the main advantages in this analytical procedure.

Uranium determination using atomic spectrometric techniques: an overview.

This review focuses on the determination of uranium using spectroanalytical techniques that are aimed at total determination such as flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS), electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS), inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES); and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) that also enables the determination of uranium isotopes. The advantages and shortcomings related to interferences, precision, accuracy, sample type and equipment employed in the analysis are taken into account, as well as the complexity and costs (i.e., acquisition, operation and maintenance) associated with each of the techniques. Strategies to improve their performance that employ separation and/or preconcentration steps are considered, with an emphasis given to solid-phase extraction because of its advantages compared to other preconcentration procedures.

An on-line system for preconcentration and determination of lead in wine samples by FAAS.

A flow injection method has been developed for the direct determination of free available Pb(II) and total Pb content in wine samples. The method is based on the chemical sorption of Pb(II), from pH 7 buffered solutions, on a packed polyurethane foam column, modified by addition of 2-(2-benzothiazolylazo)-p-cresol (BTAC). After this step, lead was directly eluted with a stream of 0.1 mol l(-1) HCl into an air C(2)H(2) flame in which lead was determined by atomic absorption spectrometry. Total lead was analyzed after sample digestion with nitric acid and hydrogen peroxide, being free available lead determined by direct sample on-line preconcentration and elution. The method provides a limit of detection (3sigma) of 1 mug l(-1) lead and relative standard deviation, which varies from 6 to 0.7% for lead concentration of 10 and 500 mug l(-1). Total content of lead in wine samples analyzed varied from 8 to 42 mug l(-1) being obtained free available values of Pb(II) under the limit of detection of the method. Recovery studies on natural wine samples, spicked with inorganic lead, evidenced the remaining capability of ligands, present in the wine, to avoid lead retention on the polyurethane foam loaded with BTAC.

Multi-element determination of Cu, Fe, Ni and Zn content in vegetable oils samples by high-resolution continuum source atomic absorption spectrometry and microemulsion sample preparation

The aim of this work was to evaluate the microemulsification as sample preparation procedure for determination of Cu, Fe, Ni and Zn in vegetable oils samples by High-Resolution Continuum Source Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (HR-CS FAAS). Microemulsions were prepared by mixing samples with propan-1-ol and aqueous acid solution, which allowed the use of inorganic aqueous standards for the calibration. To a sample mass of 0.5g, 100μL of hydrochloric acid and propan-1-ol were added and the resulting mixture diluted to a final volume of 10mL. The sample was manually shaken resulting in a visually homogeneous system. The main lines were selected for all studied metals and the detection limits (3σ, n=10) were 0.12, 0.62, 0.58 and 0.12mgkg(-1) for Cu, Fe, Ni and Zn, respectively. The relative standard deviation (RSD) ranged from 5% to 11 % in samples spiked with 0.25 and 1.5μgmL(-1) of each metal, respectively. Recoveries varied from 89% to 102%. The proposed method was applied to the determination of Cu, Fe, Ni and Zn in soybean, olive and sunflower oils.

Determination of Copper, Iron, Nickel, and Zinc in Ethanol Fuel by Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry Using On‐Line Preconcentration System

Abstract In this work, an on‐line system for preconcentration and determination of copper, iron, nickel, and zinc at µg L−1 level by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) has been developed. Amberlite XAD‐4 functionalized with 3,4‐dihydroxybenzoic acid packed in a minicolumn was used as metal sorbent. The retained metals can be quickly eluted from sorbent material, with the eluent stream consisting of hydrochloric acid solution, directly to the nebulizer burner system of the FAAS. Analytical parameters were evaluated and the results demonstrated that all studied metals can be determined, using borate buffer to adjust the sample pH at 8.0. The results showed that the proposed method is simple and rapid. The limits of detection were estimated as 2.3, 5.0, 7.8, and 0.1 µg L−1 for copper, iron, nickel, and zinc, respectively, using a preconcentration time of 60 s and a sample flow rate of 5.5 mL min−1. Enrichment factors of 22, 15, 12, and 54 and coefficients of variations of 3.5, 4.4, 4.4, and 3.2% were obtained in the determination of copper, iron, nickel, and zinc, respectively. The system presented an analytical throughput of 10 samples per hour and was successfully applied in the determination of metals in ethanol fuel.

Synthesis and application of a functionalized resin in on-line system for copper preconcentration and determination in foods by flame atomic absorption spectrometry

Abstract An on-line system for preconcentration and determination of copper at μg l−1 level by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) is proposed. Amberlite XAD-2 functionalized with 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid packed in a minicolumn was used as sorbent. Copper(II) ions were sorbed in the minicolumn, from which it could be eluted by hydrochloric acid solution directly to the nebulizer–burner system of the FAAS. Eluent solution was carried by water at a flow rate of 5.00 ml min−1. Signals were measured as peak height by using an instrument software. Achieved sampling rate was 27 samples per hour. Analytical parameters were evaluated and the results demonstrated that copper can be determined, with acetate buffer to adjust the sample pH at 6.0, preconcentration time of 120 s and a sample flow rate of 6.50 ml min−1. The desorption was carried out with 30 μl of a 1.0 mol l−1 hydrochloric acid solution. An enrichment factor of 33 in 13.00 ml of sample (120 s preconcentration time) was achieved by using the time-based technique. The detection limit (DL) (3 s) was 0.27 μg l−1 and the precision (assessed as the relative standard deviation) reached values of 5.7–1.1% in copper solutions of 5.00 to 50.00 μg l−1 concentration, respectively. The accuracy of procedure was confirmed by copper determination in certified reference materials. Recoveries of spike additions (1.0 or 2.0 μg g−1) to food samples were quantitative (90.0–110.0%). These results proved also that the procedure is not affected by matrix interference and can be applied satisfactorily for copper determination in rice flour and starch samples.

An automated on-line flow system for the pre-concentration and determination of lead by flame atomic absorption spectrometry

Abstract The use of Amberlite XAD-2 modified by 2-(2-benzothiazolylazo)-2- p -cresol (BTAC) as a sorbent in an on-line pre-concentration system for lead determination has been proposed. The procedure is based on the sorption of lead(II) ions onto a minicolumn packed with modified Amberlite XAD-2, followed by elution with 0.10 mol l −1 hydrochloric acid and determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The on-line flow system uses four three-way solenoid valves and is electronically controlled in a time-based mode. Chemical and flow variables were optimized. The results demonstrated that sample solutions containing lead(II) in the concentration range from 3.7 to 300.0 μg l −1 in a solution of pH between 6.5 and 8.5 could be determined, using a pre-concentration time of 2 min. The enrichment factor was 27 for a sample volume of 4.50 ml. The limit of detection was 3.7 μg l −1 . The relative standard deviations (R.S.D.) were in the range of 4.4–2.3% for lead concentrations from 50.0 to 300.0 μg l −1 , respectively. The method was tolerant to other ions usually present in biological samples. Good accuracy was assured by the analysis of biological reference materials.