New sorbents for solid-phase extraction for metal enrichment

Sample pretreatment methods, such as separation and/or preconcentration prior to the determination of metal ions have developed rapidly due to the increasing need for accurate and precise measurements at extremely low levels of ions in diverse matrices. This review covers new sorbents including microorganisms and nanomaterials used for the solid-phase extraction of metal ions from various sample matrices. A literature survey of the last three years (2005-2007) offering a critical review of these new sorbents available for use in trace metal enrichment is provided. To keep the focus on new sorbents, some of the papers relating to well-known sorbents such as activated carbon are excluded.