Application of robust syringe-to-syringe dispersive liquid-phase microextraction method for preconcentration and determination of mercury with the aid of an experimental design

A simple and rapid syringe-to-syringe dispersive liquid-phase microextraction (SS-DLPME) technique has been developed for the separation and preconcentration of mercury combined with UV-Vis spectrophotometry. In this method, effective factors were screened using a Plackett-Burman design (PBD) and optimized using a Box-Behnken design (BBD). Under the optimized experimental conditions, the calibration curve was linear in the range of 5-400 mu g L-1 with the coefficient of determination (r (2)) of 0.997. The detection limit, intraday precision, inter-day precision and the enrichment factor (EF) were 1.60 mu g L-1, 1.57%, 1.82% and 120, respectively. This method was successfully applied to the determination of Hg(II) in water, fish and human hair samples.

Automated summary

A simple and rapid syringe-to-syringe dispersive liquid-phase microextraction (SS-DLPME) technique has been developed for the separation and preconcentration of mercury combined with UV-Vis spectrophotometry. The method showed linear calibration curve, low detection limit, good precision, and high enrichment factor, making it suitable for determining Hg(II) in various types of samples.