On-line determination of palladium by flame atomic absorption spectrometry coupled with a separation/preconcentration minicolumn containing a new sorbent

Abstract

A method was developed for the on-line determination of palladium in complex matrices with flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) using Amberlite XAD-16 resin functionalized with 2-[2-(5-thiol-1,3,4-thiadiazolyl)]-azonaphthol (TTAN) reagent. Optimum experimental conditions such as pH of sample, type of eluent, amount of resin, volumes of sample and eluent solution, flow rates of sample and eluent, and effect of interfering ions were established. A 0.1 mol L⁻¹ thiourea solution in 0.5 mol L⁻¹ HCl was used as the eluent and subsequently transportation the analyte ions into the nebulizer–burner system for atomization. The synthesized chelating resin material showed excellent chemical and mechanical resistance, fast adsorption kinetics permitting the use of high sample flow rates without significant losses of retention efficiency. The detection limit of the method was 1.5 µg L⁻¹ while the relative standard deviation (RSD%) was 2.4% at 0.1 mg L⁻¹ Pd(II) level. The developed method was successfully applied to the determination of palladium in the catalytic converter and water samples.

Keywords:

• palladium
• on-line preconcentration
• chelating resin
• atomic absorption