Analytical Sciences

Cloud-Point Formation Based on Mixed Micelles for the Extraction, Preconcentration and Spectrophotometric Determination of Trace Amounts of Beryllium in Water Samples

Asadollah BEIRAGHI,* Ali Reza ZAREI,** and Saeed BABAEE*

*Faculty of Chemistry, Tarbiat Moallem University, Tehran, Iran
**Faculty of Materials, Malek Ashtar University of Technology, Tehran 15875-1774, Iran

A cloud-point extraction process using a mixed micelle of the cationic surfactant cetyl pyridinium chloride (CPC) and non-ionic surfactant Triton X-114 to extract beryllium from aqueous solutions was investigated. The method is based on the color reaction of beryllium with Chrome Azurol S (CAS) in acetate buffer and the mixed micelle-mediated extraction of the complex. This complex was concentrated in a surfactant-rich phase after separation. The optimal extraction and reaction conditions (e.g. pH, reagent and surfactant concentrations, temperature, incubation and centrifuge times) were evaluated and optimized. Under the optimized conditions, the analytical characteristics of the method (e.g. limit of detection, linear range and preconcentration factor) were obtained. Linearity was obeyed in the range of 0.30 - 18 ng mL^-1 of beryllium and the detection limit of the method was 0.05 ng mL^-1. The interference effect of some cations and anions was also studied. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of beryllium in real water samples.

J-STAGE: View this article in J-STAGE