Determination of trace amounts of cadmium and copper by atomic absorption spectrometry after simultaneous extraction and preconcentration using a new water-soluble polyacrylic acid/alumina sorbent

An analytical method using alumina modified with water-soluble polyacrylic acid polymer for the simultaneous separation and preconcentration of trace Cu and Cd in a column system, and their determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry was developed. The conditions for coating Al2O3 with polyacrylic acid were optimized, then the column was packed with 50 mg of this sorbent. Cd and Cu solution was passed through a glass column at pH 4.5, and elution was carried out with 5 mL of 0.05 M HCl at a flow rate of 1 mL min(-1). A sorption capacity of 10 mg Cu and 12 mg Cd was obtained for 1 g sorbent. The detection limit was calculated as 4.5 mu g L-1 for Cu and 1.54 mu g L-1 for Cd in the final solution. Enrichment factors of 300 for Cd and 400 for Cu were obtained.