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Determination of mercury(II) in water samples using dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction and back extraction along with capillary zone electrophoresis

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Abstract

We have developed a method for the determination of mercury in water samples that combines dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) with back-extraction (BE) and detection by capillary zone electrophoresis. DLLME is found to be a simple, cost-effective and rapid method for extraction and preconcentration. The BE procedure is based on the fact that the stability constant of the hydrophilic chelate of Hg(II) with L-cysteine is much larger than that of the respective complex with 1-(2-pyridylazo)-2-naphthol. Factors affecting complex formation and extraction efficiency (such as pH value, concentration of the chelating agent, time of ultrasonication and extraction, and type and quantity of disperser solvent) were optimized. Under the optimal conditions, the enrichment factor is 625, and the limit of detection is 0.62 μg L−1. The calibration plot is linear in the range between 1 and 1,000 μg L−1 (R 2 = 0.9991), and the relative standard deviation (RSD, for n = 6) is 4.1%. Recoveries were determined with tap water and seawater spiked at levels of 10 and 100 μg L−1, respectively, and ranged from 86.6% to 95.1%, with corresponding RSDs of 3.95–5.90%.

A method was developed based on the combination of dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction with back-extraction showing simplicity, cost-effectiveness, and rapidity for remarkably enhanced preconcentration, and detection by capillary zone electrophoresis occupying high resolving power, rapidity, low-cost, and environmental benignity, and applied for highly selective determination of trace mercury in water samples.

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Acknowledgement

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (20975089), the Innovation Projects of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (KZCX2-EW-206), the Department of Science and Technology of Shandong Province of China (2008GG20005005), the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province of China (ZR2010BQ027), the Science and technology support project of Qingdao Public domain (09-1-1-55-nsh), the Yantai Research and Development Program of China (2010158), and the 100 Talents Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Coastal Zone Environmental Processes, CAS; Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Coastal Zone Environmental Processes; Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yantai, 264003, China

    Jinhua Li, Wenhui Lu & Lingxin Chen

  2. Key Laboratory of Environmental Engineering of Shandong Province, Institute of Environment & Municipal Engineering, Qingdao Technological University, Qingdao, 266033, China

    Wenhui Lu & Jiping Ma

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  1. Jinhua Li
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  2. Wenhui Lu
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  4. Lingxin Chen
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Correspondence to Lingxin Chen.

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Li, J., Lu, W., Ma, J. et al. Determination of mercury(II) in water samples using dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction and back extraction along with capillary zone electrophoresis. Microchim Acta 175, 301–308 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-011-0679-z

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