Separation and identification of metals in human bones, placenta and milk and in air by adsorption and ion-exchange...

For solutions containing mixtures of different cations, the identity of each cation can be determined by qualitative analysis. This technique involves a series of selective precipitations with different chemical reagents, each reaction producing a characteristic precipitate for a specific group of cations. Metal ions within a group are further separated by varying the pH, heating the mixture to redissolve a precipitate, or adding other reagents to form complex ions.
For instance, group IV...

Chromatography is a technique used to separate compounds based on differences of partitioning between two phases, the stationary phase and the mobile phase.
The phase in which the compounds linger or on which the compounds adsorb is called the stationary phase, whereas the mobile phase is the solvent that carries the solutes to be analyzed. In traditional column chromatography, the mixture flows through the stationary phase, and the compounds partition between the stationary and mobile phases...

Electrodeposition is a technique used to separate an analyte from interferents by electrochemical processes. Here, the analyte is a metal ion that can be deposited on an electrode immersed in the sample solution. The electrochemical setup consists of an anode and a cathode. When an electric current is applied to the setup, oxidation occurs at the anode. At the cathode, which consists of a large metal surface, metal ions undergo reduction and deposit onto the surface.
Electrodeposition can...

Metal ions can be separated from one another by complexation with organic ligands–the chelating agent– to form uncharged chelates. Here, the chelating agent must contain hydrophobic groups and behave as a weak acid, losing a proton to bind with the metal. Since most organic ligands used in this process are insoluble or undergo oxidation in the aqueous phase, the chelating agent is initially added to the organic phase and extracted into the aqueous phase. The metal-ligand complex is formed in...

Chromatographic techniques are classified in three ways: the classification is based on the physical state of the stationary and mobile phases, how the mobile phase and the stationary phase contact each other, or through the chemical or physical processes that isolate the components of the sample. Typically, the mobile phase is either a liquid or gas, while the stationary phase is either a solid or a liquid layer applied to a solid surface.
Chromatographic techniques are typically named by...

Ion-exchange chromatography, or IEC, is a technique for separating ions based on their affinity for the stationary phase. The stationary phase is a cross-linked polymer resin with covalently attached ionic functional groups. The functional groups can be either positively charged (cation exchangers) or negatively charged (anion exchangers). A cation exchanger consists of a polymeric anion and active cations, while an anion exchanger is a polymeric cation with active anions. The choice of...