Preconcentration of trace amount Cu(II) by solid-phase extraction method using activated carbon-based ion-imprinted...

Area of Science:

• Environmental Chemistry
• Analytical Chemistry
• Materials Science

Background:

• Accurate determination of trace copper ions is crucial for environmental monitoring.
• Solid-phase extraction (SPE) offers efficient preconcentration of metal ions.
• Developing selective sorbents enhances analytical method performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize a novel activated carbon-based ion-imprinted sorbent (Cu(II)-IAC) for selective copper ion preconcentration.
• To optimize SPE conditions for trace copper determination using the synthesized sorbent.
• To evaluate the method's accuracy and validity using real water samples and certified reference materials.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of activated carbon-based ion-imprinted sorbent (Cu(II)-IAC).
• Solid-phase extraction (SPE) for preconcentration of copper ions.
• Flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) for copper ion determination.
• Characterization using SEM/EDX and FTIR.
• Adsorption isotherm studies (Freundlich and Langmuir).

Main Results:

• The Cu(II)-IAC sorbent exhibited a maximum adsorption capacity of 312.5 mg/g (Langmuir isotherm).
• Optimized SPE conditions yielded low limits of determination (0.038 μg/L) and quantification (0.113 μg/L).
• The method demonstrated high accuracy and validity with quantitative recoveries from tap water and certified reference materials.

Conclusions:

• The developed Cu(II)-IAC sorbent provides a selective and efficient approach for trace copper ion preconcentration.
• The SPE-FAAS method is accurate, sensitive, and suitable for determining copper in environmental water samples.
• This novel sorbent represents a significant advancement in analytical techniques for heavy metal monitoring.