Preparation and characterization of magnetic nanoparticles for the on-line determination of gold, palladium, and platinum in mine samples based on flow injection micro-column preconcentration coupled with graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

Rapid spectrophotometric determination and extraction of platinum(IV) from pharmaceuticals assisted by 2-(2-(1-(thiophene-2-yl) ethylidene) hydrazinyl) benzoic acid (TEHBA)

It has been suggested that the chelating agent 2-(2-(1-thiophene-2-yl) ethylidene) hydrazinyl) benzoic acid (TEHBA) be utilized to extract, separate and measure platinum(IV) by UV-visible spectrophotometry at the microgram level. Following 5 min of heating the reaction mixture in a water bath, Pt(IV)-TEHBA complex formed. This complex was formed in the presence of potassium iodide solution with a molar absorption coefficient 1.9 × 103 dm3 mol-1 cm-1. At 420 nm, the substance exhibited the greatest absorption. As Beer's law described, the Pt(IV)-TEHBA complex for platinum(IV) has a beer's range of 10-50 μg cm-3. It was determined that the proportion ratio of the Pt(IV)-TEHBA complex was 1:1 after its extraction. Despite the investigation of interference from various ions, it was ascertained that the method exhibited selectivity exclusively towards platinum(IV). The trace amounts of platinum(IV) were extracted and quantified from synthetic mixtures representing alloys, binaries and ternary synthetic mixtures. The process of extracting platinum(IV) from pharmaceutical samples involves the implementation of a specific method. Moreover, the procedure exhibits a progressive segregation of palladium(II), platinum(IV) and nickel(II) while also boasting its ease of operation.

In-syringe low-density solvent dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction of Pd(II) from acidic solutions resulting from hydrometallurgical treatments and quantification by ICP-OES

An in-syringe low-density solvent dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (IS-LDS-DLLME) is presented for the extraction of palladium from a highly acidic medium before its quantification by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy. The extraction solvent was 1-undecanol, and benzil mono-(2-pyridyl) hydrazone was employed as a ligand. Here, no dispersive solvent is needed as the vortex disperses 1-undecanol in the aqueous sample solution. The experimental variables pH, concentration of the ligand, type and quantity of the extraction solvent, vortex time, and addition of NaCl were optimized. The described approach has detection and quantification limits of 0.13 and 0.43 μg L-1, respectively, an enrichment factor of 91, a linear analytical range from 0.4 to 250 μg L-1, and a precision of 1.7-2.0 % (25.0 μg L-1). The approach was used to analyze electronic waste samples and certified reference material.

Comparative study on a kilowatt-MPT-MS-based method with two ion polarity modes for the inert palladium metal

Inert metals are of much importance and play a key role in modern industrial manufacturing. The analytical techniques of inert metals remain challenging. In particular, the mass spectrometry of inert metal elements is yet to be further developed, which also limits the contemporary conceptual in situ analysis of inert metals. As the representative element, the mass spectral detection of palladium is critical and of far-reaching significance. Herein, we developed a mass spectrometry method, which can be used for the high-speed and in situ analysis of palladium, and even for other inert metals. Combining the line ion trap mass spectrometer with the versatile ambient ionization source, a novel kilowatt microwave plasma torch (MPT) can be used to obtain the fully characteristic MPT mass spectra of palladium. Detailed multistage tandem mass spectra show that the general form of target ions is [M(O2)x(NO)mNy(NO2)n]- for the negative ion mode and [M(H2O)x(NO2)y(N2)m]+ for the positive ion mode. Moreover, the formation and evolution of these palladium complex ions were reasonably derived based on the analysis of MPT background mass spectra. This mass spectrometric technique is also suitable for the determination of the palladium-containing solution in the sub-trace level. Semi-quantitative results showed that the detecting ability for palladium in the negative mode is better than that of the positive mode. Under the negative ion mode, the limit of detection (LOD) for m/z 259 were evaluated to be 0.5 μg L-1 under the optimized conditions of the negative mode, with the linear range of 1-100 μg·L-1 (R2 ≥ 0.9985) and the relative standard deviation (RSD, n = 11) being in the range of 1.20%-5.98% (refer to Table S3). Our experimental data showed that MPT-MS was a promising technique for providing another alternative in the on-site analysis of liquid samples and other intimate relevant fields, as the supplement of ICP-MS for the detection of inert metal elements. On the other hand, this work will also certainly promote the more broad applications of platinum-group elements (PGE) in modern science and industry.

Magnetic Solid Phase Extraction as a Promising Technique for Fast Separation of Metallic Nanoparticles and Their Ionic Species: A Review of Recent Advances

The widespread use of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) in a wide variety of industrial as well as medical sectors is indisputable. This leads to a new concern about their presence in various environmental compartments. Since their negative effect and potential toxicity impact have been confirmed, analytical chemists focus on the development of different procedures for their reliable detection, identification, characterization, and quantification, not only in homogenous and simple matrices but also in complex environmental matrices. However, nanoparticles and their ionic species can coexist and their toxicity may differ; therefore, novel analytical approaches are necessary to monitor not only the nanoparticles but also their ionic species. The aim of this article is to bring a review of recent works where magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) procedures in connection with spectrometric methods were used for separation/preconcentration and quantification of (1) silver and gold ions in various environmental samples, (2) AgNPs and AuNPs in real water samples in the presence of various coexisting ions, and (3) both species (it means Ag ions and AgNPs; Au ions and AuNPs) in real water samples. The results presented herein show the great analytical potential of MSPE procedures in connection with spectrometric methods used in these fields and can be helpful in guiding analytical chemists who aim to work on this subject.

Sample Digestion and Combined Preconcentration Methods for the Determination of Ultra-Low Gold Levels in Rocks

The gold abundance in basic rocks, which normally varies between 0.5 and 5 ppb, has served as a very important indicator in many geoscience studies, including those focused on the planetary differentiation, redistribution of elements during the crustal process, and ore genesis. However, because gold is a monoisotopic element that exhibits a nugget effect, it is very difficult to quantify its ultra-low levels in rocks, which significantly limits our understanding of the origin of gold and its circulation between the Earth crust, mantle, and core. In this work, we summarize various sample digestion and combined preconcentration methods for the determination of gold amounts in rocks. They include fire assay, fire assay combined with Te coprecipitation and instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) or laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, fusion combined with Te coprecipitation and anion exchange resins, dry chlorination, wet acid digestion combined with precipitation, ion exchange resins, solvent extraction, polyurethane foam, extraction chromatography, novel solid adsorbents, and direct determination by INAA. In addition, the faced challenges and future perspectives in this field are discussed.

An ion-imprinted thiocyanato-functionalized mesoporous silica for preconcentration of gold(III) prior to its quantitation by slurry sampling graphite furnace AAS

A gold(III)-imprinted thiocyanato-functionalized silica network of type SBA-15 was prepared by co-condensation of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) with thiocyanatopropyltriethoxysilane (TCTES) in the presence of Pluronic123 and Au(III) ions. Compared to the non-imprinted material, the imprint has a higher selectivity and adsorption capacity for Au(III). The maximum static adsorption capacity for Au(III) is 475 mg·g⁻¹ for the ion-imprinted, and 62 mg·g⁻¹ for the non-imprinted sorbent. The imprint was applied to the sorption of Au(III) from digested geological samples prior to its determination by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. Adsorption is fast and does not substantially prolong the analytical procedure. Under optimum conditions, the detection limit for Au(III) is 2 ng·g⁻¹. The method was validated by analyzing certified reference materials, and results were in good agreement with certified values. The procedure was successfully applied to the separation and determination of gold in complex geological samples.

Graphical abstract

Comparison of different sample preparation methods for platinum determination in cultured cells by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

BACKGROUND

Platinum-based agents are widely used in chemotherapy against solid tumors and insufficient intracellular drug accumulation is one of the leading causes of platinum resistance which is associated with poor survival of tumor patients. Thus, the detection of intracellular platinum is pivotal for studies aiming to overcome platinum resistance. In the present study, we aimed to establish a reliable graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS)-based assay to quantify the intracellular platinum content for cultured cells.

METHODS

Several most commonly applied cell preparation methods, including 0.2% HNO3, 0.2% Triton X-100, concentrated nitric acid, RIPA combined with concentrated nitric acid and hydroxide, followed by GFAAS for platinum detection were compared in ovarian, cervical and liver cancer cell lines to obtain the optimal one, and parameters regarding linearity, accuracy, precision and sensitivity were evaluated. Influence of other metals on platinum detection and the storage conditions of samples were also determined.

RESULTS

The treatment of cells with 0.2% HNO3 was superior to other approaches with fewer platinum loss and better repeatability. The recovery rate and precision of this method were 97.3%-103.0% and 1.4%-3.8%, respectively. The average recoveries in the presence of other metals were 95.1%-103.1%. The detection limit was 13.23 ug/L. The recovery rate of platinum remained acceptable even in cell samples stored in -20 °C or -80 °C for two months.

DISCUSSION

After comparison, we found that 0.2% HNO3 was optimal for intracellular platinum quantification based on GFAAS, which presented values compatible with that of inductively-coupled plasma mass-spectrometry (ICP-MS), and this is partially attributed to the simplicity of this method. Moreover, the assay was proved to be accurate, sensitive, cost-effective and suitable for the research of platinum-based antitumor therapy.

Dispersive solid phase extraction of gold with magnetite-graphene oxide prior to its determination via microwave plasma-atomic emission spectrometry

In this paper we demonstrated the quantitative analysis of gold in environmental water samples using microwave plasma atomic emission spectrometry (MP-AES) after dispersive solid phase extraction (DSPE) on magnetite graphene oxide (m-GO).

A highly efficient and magnetically retrievable functionalized nano-adsorbent for ultrasonication assisted rapid and selective extraction of Pd2+ ions from water samples

A novel and highly efficient magnetic core shell based nanoadsorbent has been fabricated and applied for the extraction of Pd²⁺ ions.