Preconcentration of trace amounts of copper in aqueous samples by octadecyl silica membrane modified disks and determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry

A simple and reliable method for the rapid and selective separation of Cu(II) ion from water, waste water and black tea by using octadecyl silica membrane disks modified with an H(2)Salphen (L) and flame atomic absorption spectrometry is presented. Extraction efficiency and the influence of flow rate, pH and minimum amount of stripping acid were investigated. Maximum capacity of the membrane disks modified by 2 mg of (L) was found to be 487.5 +/- 7.5 mug of copper. The limit of detection of proposed method is 0.07 ng/cm(3).