Selective solid-phase extraction of lead(II) from biological and natural water samples using surface-grafted lead(II)-imprinted polymers

A new Pb(II)-imprinted amino-functionalized silica gel sorbent was synthesized by an easy one-step reaction by combining a surface imprinting technique for selective solid-phase extraction of trace Pb(II) prior to its determination by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. The Pb(II)-imprinted amino-functionalized silica gel sorbent was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Compared to non-imprinted polymer particles, the ion-imprinted polymers had higher selectivity and adsorption capacity for Pb(II). The maximum static adsorption capacity of the ion-imprinted and non-imprinted sorbent for Pb(II) was 19.66 and 6.20 mg g(-1), respectively. The largest selectivity coefficient of the Pb(II)-imprinted sorbent for Pb(II) in the presence of Cd(II) was over 450. The relative selectivity (alpha (r)) values of Pb(II)/Cd(II) were 49.3 and 46.3, which were greater than 1. The distribution ratio (D) values of Pb(II)-imprinted polymers for Pb(II) were much larger than that for Cd(II). The detection limit (3 sigma) was 0.20 mu g L-1. The relative standard deviation was 2.0% for 11 replicate determinations. The method was validated for the analysis three certified reference materials (GBW 08301, GBW 08504, GBW 08511), and the results are in good agreement with standard values. The method was also successfully applied to the determination of trace lead in plants and water samples with satisfactory results.