title: Trace mercury determination in drinking and natural water samples by room temperature ionic liquid based-preconcentration and flow injection-cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry.
abstract: A liquid-liquid extraction procedure (L-L) based on room temperature ionic liquid (RTIL) was developed for the preconcentration and determination of mercury in different water samples. The analyte was quantitatively extracted with 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([C(4)mim][PF(6)]) under the form of Hg-2-(5-bromo-2-pyridylazo)-5-diethylaminophenol (Hg-5-Br-PADAP) complex. A volume of 500 microl of 9.0 mol L(-1) hydrochloric acid was used to back-extract the analyte from the RTIL phase into an aqueous media prior to its analysis by flow injection-cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry (FI-CV-AAS). A preconcentration factor of 36 was achieved upon preconcentration of 20 mL of sample. The limit of detection (LOD) obtained under the optimal conditions was 2.3ngL(-1) and the relative standard deviation (RSD) for 10 replicates at 1 microg L(-1) Hg(2+) was 2.8%, calculated with peaks height. The method was successfully applied to the determination of mercury in river, sea, mineral and tap water samples and a certified reference material (CRM).
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Environmental Research and Services of Mendoza, CCT-CONICET-Mendoza, Av. Ruiz Leal s/n, Parque General San Martín, Mendoza, Argentina.
authors.forename: Estefanía M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Martinis
authors.forename: Paula
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bertón
authors.forename: Roberto A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Olsina
authors.forename: Jorgelina C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Altamirano
authors.forename: Rodolfo G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Wuilloud
mesh_terms: D005618:Fresh Water / Q000032:analysis*; D052578:Ionic Liquids; D008628:Mercury / Q000032:analysis*; D012015:Reference Standards; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012623:Seawater / Q000032:analysis; D013054:Spectrophotometry, Atomic / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D013696:Temperature; D014881:Water Supply / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D052578:Ionic Liquids; D008628:Mercury