Automated Collection/Concentration Method Coupled with Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry for Simultaneous Determination of Trace Multi Elements and Its Application to River Water Samples

An automatically controlled collection/concentration system was incorporated in ICP-AES. This method was applied to the determination of trace multi elements in water samples. An iminodiacetate-type resin, ME-2, was packed in a small column (2 min i.d. and 40 mm length) for the collection/concentration of multi elements, and the column was installed at a switching valve. The sample used was 20 mL, and its flow rate was 60 mu L s(-1). The column being passed through a sample solution was washed with 0.5 mL of water; the elution was then carried out with 0.75 mL of 2 M HNO3 flowing at 30 mu L s(-1). ME-2 resin adsorbed 29 elements at pH 6; 12 elements (V, Co, Ni, Cu, Y, Mo, Cd, Pb, La, Eu, Dy and Ho) could be collected and recovered quantitatively at a concentration range from 0.1 ng mL(-1) to 0.5 ng mL(-1). Of these, 7 elements (NI, Co, Ni, Cd, La, Eu and Dy) could be determined at trace level from 0.01 ng mL(-1) to 0.1 ng mL(-1). The detection limits (LODs) were between 0.001 ng mL(-1) (Y, Cd) and 0.079 ng mL(-1) (Mo). The concentration efficiency compared with the signal intensity of a direct measurement was around 100. The sample throughput was about 10 min. The proposed Method was successfully applied to river and tap-water samples.