Determination of Trace Amounts of Aluminium in Water by Solid-Phase Spectrophotometry

Abstract

A method for the determination of trace amounts of aluminium based on Solid-Phase Spectrophotometry has been developed. Aluminium reacts with Eriochrome Cyanine R to give a highly coloured complex, which is fixed on a dextran type anion-exchanger. The absorbance of the gel, at 590 and 750 nm, packed in a 1-mm cell, is measured directly. The calibration graph is linear in the concentration range 0.12–6.0 μgl⁻¹ and the RSD is 1.4 %. The detection limit of the 1000-ml sample method is 20 ngl⁻¹ for a 30 mg anion-exchanger. The sensitivity can be enhanced by increasing the sample volume. The method has been applied to the determination of aluminium in tap, spring and distilled water.

Key Words:

• Solid-Phase Spectrophotometry
• Aluminium determination
• Eriochrome Cyanine R
• water analysis