title: Adsorption behavior of mercury and precious metals on cross-linked chitosan and the removal of ultratrace amounts of mercury in concentrated hydrochloric acid by a column treatment with cross-linked chitosan.
abstract: Cross-linked chitosan was synthesized with chitosan and ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether. The adsorption behavior of trace amounts of metal ions on the cross-linked chitosan was systematically examined by packing it in a mini-column, passing a metal solution through it and measuring metal ions in the effluent by ICP-MS. The cross-linked chitosan adsorbed mercury and precious metals (Pd, Pt, and Au) at pH values from acidic to neutral. Especially, mercury in concentrated hydrochloric acids could be adsorbed on cross-linked chitosan quantitatively by an anion-exchange mechanism in the form of a stable chloride complex. This method was applied to the removal of mercury from commercially available hydrochloric acid; more than 97% of mercury was removed, and the residual mercury in the hydrochloric acid (Grade: for trace analysis) was found to be 0.15 ppb. Mercury adsorbed on the cross-linked chitosan could be easily desorbed with an eluent containing I M hydrochloric acid and 0.05 M thiourea. The thus-refreshed cross-linked chitosan could be repeatedly used for the removal of mercury in hydrochloric acid.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Okayama University, Japan.
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Oshita
authors.forename: Mitsuko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Oshima
authors.forename: Yun-Hua
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Kyue-Hyung
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Shoji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Motomizu