Titanium determination by multisyringe flow injection analysis system and a liquid waveguide capillary cell in solid...

Area of Science:

• Environmental Chemistry
• Analytical Chemistry
• Marine Science

Background:

• Titanium (Ti) is an essential element in marine ecosystems, but its accurate quantification in various environmental matrices can be challenging.
• Understanding titanium distribution is crucial for assessing marine biogeochemical cycles and potential environmental impacts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a sensitive and efficient spectrophotometric method for determining titanium concentrations in marine environmental samples.
• To apply the developed method for assessing titanium levels in different coastal compartments of the Western Mediterranean Sea.

Main Methods:

• A multisyringe flow injection analysis system coupled with a liquid waveguide capillary cell (MSFIA-LWCC) was employed for spectrophotometric titanium determination.
• Sample digestion was performed using potassium peroxodisulfate (K2S2O8).
• The method demonstrated linearity up to 1 μM with a low detection limit of 9.2 nM, requiring minimal reagent (250 μL) and sample (600 μL) volumes.

Main Results:

• The developed MSFIA-LWCC method exhibited high accuracy and repeatability (RSD of 1.8%) across all tested marine samples.
• Average titanium concentrations were reported as follows: 510.7 ± 267.2 nM in coastal surface microlayer, 2.72 ± 1.84 μmol/g in surface sediments, and 310 ± 295 nmol/g in Posidonia oceanica rhizomes, and 157 ± 132 nmol/g in leaves.

Conclusions:

• The proposed MSFIA-LWCC method is a robust and efficient analytical tool for titanium determination in complex marine environmental samples.
• The study provides valuable baseline data on titanium concentrations in the coastal waters and biota of Majorca Island, contributing to the understanding of its environmental fate.