Determination of palladium in gasoline by neutron activation analysis and automated column extraction

Determination of ultra-trace levels of palladium in water samples by cloud point extraction and graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

A highly sensitive method for the determination of ultra-trace levels of palladium in water samples by cloud point extraction and graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry is developed. The procedure is based on complexation of palladium with a laboratory-prepared novel chelating agent, 2-(5-bromo-4-methyl-2-pyridylazo)-5-dimethylaminoaniline (5-Br-4-CH3-PADMA) and subsequent micelle-mediated extraction of the product using the non-ionic surfactant octylphenoxypolyethoxyethanol (Triton X-114) as an extracting agent. Analytical parameters affecting the separation and detection process, such as pH, concentration of the chelating agent and surfactant, equilibration temperature, and time are investigated. The optimized conditions are as follows: pH 6.0 HAc–NaAc buffer solution, 1 × 10−5 mol L−1 5-Br-4-CH3-PADMA, and 0.1% (w/v) Triton X-114. Under the optimized conditions, the calibration graph is linear in the range of 0.1–12 ng/mL, the detection limit is 0.05 ng/mL for palladium, and the relative standard deviation is 2.9% ( c = 1.0 ng/mL, n = 10). The enrichment factor, defined as the ratio of the aqueous solution volume to that of the surfactant-rich phase volume after dilution with HNO3–methanol solution, is 200. The proposed method is applied to the determination of palladium in water samples with satisfactory results.

V-shaped bis-coumarin based fluorescent probe for detecting palladium in natural waters

A catalytic fluorescent probe based on V-shaped bis-coumarin has been designed and synthesized for detection of palladium (Pd). The detection mechanism of the probe is based on palladium-catalyzed Tsuji‒Trost reaction process and photoinduced electron transfer (PET), which can distinguish and detect palladium (0, +2/+4) in different valence states under different conditions. The fluorescence intensity of the probe enhances after adding the palladium in about 10 min at room temperature. The limit of detection (LOD) of the probe is as low as 40.0 nM (4.2 ng/g), and it has good selectivity and high sensitivity. Apart from that, it has been successfully applied to detection of palladium in environmental waters.

Solid phase extraction of gold(III) on silica gel modified with benzoylthiourea prior to its determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry

A new method has been developed for the determination of gold based on separation and preconcentration using silica gel modified with benzoylthiourea. The optimum experimental parameters for preconcentration of gold, such as acid concentration, sample flow rate, eluent and matrix ions, have been investigated. Gold could be quantitatively retained in the 0.25-2.0 mol L(-1) HCl and HNO(3) concentrations, and then eluted completely with 0.5 mol L(-1) thiourea in 1.0 mol L(-1) HCl. The sorption capacity of gold(III) is 0.92 +/- 0.04 mmol g(-1) with a high enrichment factor of 267. The relative standard deviation of the method, RSD%, was found as 1.2% for 0.1 microg mL(-1). The detection limit for gold was 1.4 microg L(-1). The validation of the proposed method was checked by the analysis of certified reference soil materials. The presented procedure was applied to the determination of gold in some environmental samples.

Long-term study of palladium in road tunnel dust and sewage sludge ash

The present work summarizes data about palladium contents of road tunnel dust from 1994 to 2007 and sewage sludge ash from 1972 to 2006. Since palladium is emitted from automotive catalytic converters as elemental particles, road dust is quiet useful to study traffic-related Pd emissions. Very high Pd values of up to 516 microg Pd kg(-1) were found in the road dust samples collected in 2007. Heavy metals of all urban emissions, also dental practice effluent, are enriched in sewage sludge ash and thus this matrix is useful for the documentation of palladium emission caused by the use of Pd alloys in dental medicine. In sewage sludge ash highest Pd contents of maximum 460 microg Pd kg(-1) were found in the years 1986-1997. In both matrices correlations of Pd content to Pd demand of industry are discussed.

On-line preconcentration, ion chromatographic separation and spectrophotometric determination of palladium at trace level

A new method for the determination of Pd by ion chromatography and spectrophotometric detection has been developed. The technique is based on the separation of palladium as PdCl4(2-) by anion exchange and on the detection, at a wavelength of 407 nm, of metal as PdI4(2-) after a post-column reaction with KI. The column used was an IonPac AS4 with HCl and HClO4 eluents. The eluent concentration and composition of post-column reagent were optimised in order to obtain the best separation and sensitivity for Pd. In order to reduce the detection limit, an on-line preconcentration step, has been optimised. The method, as developed, was suitable for palladium determination within a 300 ng/l D.L. value. The method applied to a BCR reference material (CRM 277, estuarine sediment) gave satisfactory results in agreement with the certified value within a D.L. value of 1.3 microg/l for the real sample.