5. Application of the methodology for the analysis of water samples
In order to check applicability and the accuracy of the proposed methodology for quantitative determinations of copper xylic acid ethyl ester is suitable for the on-line preconcentration of Cu(II) ions from water samples aiming it determination, at g l−1 level, by flame atomic absorption spectrometry.
The functionalized resin employed in this work presented excellent capacity being able to retain up to 21 mg of Cu/g of resin.
In relation to the flow system, an excellent analytical throughput (25 h−1) was attained, when a 2 min preconcentration
time was set. At this condition, a limit of detection of 1.1g l−1 was derived, and an enrichment factor of 21 was calculated.
Also, such system showed a remarkable advantage: the possibility to employ higher preconcentration times without washing of minicolumn.
This characteristic allows the use of high sample volumes, which can increase the potential sensitivity of the methodology.
Finally, preliminary studies indicate that it is possible to expand the applicability of the solid-phase synthesized in this work for the retention of other divalent cations under flow conditions, which can be a promising way to carry out metals
on-line determinations with very good analytical features,such as reproducibility, accuracy and sample throughput.