Determination of total thallium in fresh water by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry after colloid precipitate flotation

Tl(I) and Tl(III) are preconcentrated simultaneously from aqueous solutions by colloid precipitate flotation using two collectors: hydrated iron(III) oxide (Fe(2)O(3).xH(2)O) and iron(III) tetramethylenedithiocarbamate (Fe(TMDTC)(3)). After the coprecipitation step and the addition of foaming agents, Tl(I) and Tl(III) were separated from the water by a stream of air bubbles. Various factors affecting Tl(I) and Tl(III) recoveries during the separation from water, including the collector mass, the nature of the supporting electrolyte, pH, zeta potential of the collector particle surfaces, type of tenside, etc., were investigated. Within the optimal pH range (6-6.5), establishing by a recommended procedure, Tl(I) and Tl(III) were separated quantitatively (94.9-100.0%) with 30 mg Fe(III). Both Tl ions were simultaneously separated without any previous conversion of one type of Tl ion to the other. Total Tl determination was performed by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry by previous matrix modification of the concentrated samples. The determination limit of Tl by this method is 0.108 mug l(-1).

Electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometric determination of cadmium and lead in traces in aquatic systems following flotation by two chromium(III) collectors

A fast flotation method for determination of cadmium and lead in aquatic systems by two chromium(III) collectors is described. The first collector is a colloid precipitate of hydrated chromium(III) oxide, Cr2O3 x xH2O, while the second is a bulk chromium(III) pentamethylenedithiocarbamate, Cr(PMDTC)3. Cadmium and lead present in water are incorporated into the collector mass at pH 7.5 by addition of 20 mg of Cr(III) and 0.4 mmol of pentamethyleneammonium pentamethylenedithiocarbamate, PMA-PMDTC, to 0.5 L water sample. A solid precipitate was separated from the processed water system by air bubbles. After dissolving with strong acid, the solution is tested by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS). The limit of detection for Cd by flotation/ETAAS method is 0.002 microg L(-1), while for Pb is 0.04 microg L(-1). The precision of the method is expressed as relative standard deviations ranging of 5.0% for Cd (concentration range from 0.1 to 0.5 microg L(-1)) and 4.25% for Pb (concentration range from 0.5 to 5 microg L(-1)). The characteristic mass (mass that gives an integrated absorbance of 0.0044 s) of 1.06 pg for Cd and 16.7 pg for Pb were obtained. The method was validated by the standard additions and by its application to the reference materials (Surface water-SPS-SW-1, River Thames Water-LGC-6019).

Flotation-Separation and ICP-AES Determination of Ultra Trace Amounts of Copper, Cadmium, Nickel and Cobalt Using 2-Aminocyclopentene-1-dithiocarboxylic Acid

A rapid flotation method for separation and enrichment of ultra trace amounts of copper(II), cadmium(II), nickel(II) and cobalt(II) ions from water samples is established. At pH 6.5 and with sodium dodecylsulfate used as a foaming reagent, Cu2+, Cd2+, Ni2+ and Co2+ were separated simultaneously with 2-aminocyclopentene-1-dithiocarboxylic acid (ACDA) added to 1 l of aqueous solution. The proposed procedure of preconcentration is applied prior to the determination of these four analytes using inductivity coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). The effects of pH, concentration of ACDA, applicability of different surfactants and foreign ions on the separation efficiency were investigated. The preconcentration factor of the method is 1000 and the detection limits of copper(II), cadmium(II), nickel(II) and cobalt(II) ions are 0.078, 0.075, 0.072 and 0.080 ng ml(-1), respectively.

Separation, preconcentration, and determination of cadmium in drinking waters

A fast method for separation, preconcentration and determination of cadmium in drinking (source, well, tap) and water for irrigation is described. Iron(III) hexamethylenedithiocarbamate, Fe(HMDTC)3, has the role of colloid precipitate flotation collector. The determination of cadmium in final water solutions preconcentrated by flotation can be performed by flame (FAAS) or electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS). The method applied, either FAAS or ETAAS, depends of the concentration level of analyte in the water sample investigating. The AAS results are compared with inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometric measurements (ICP-AES) as an independent method. The ETAAS detection limit of cadmium is 0.002 microgram/L.