Fast simultaneous determination of traces of Cu(II) and Co(II) in soils and sediments with the luminol/perborate chemiluminescent system

• Published in: Environmental monitoring and assessment Vol. 185; no. 1; pp. 573 - 580
• Main Authors: Pulgarín, José A. Murillo, Bermejo, Luisa F. García, Durán, Armando Carrasquero
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 2013; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Biological and medical sciences; Borates - chemistry; Cations, Divalent - analysis; Chemiluminescence; Chromatography; Cobalt; Cobalt - analysis; Conservation, protection and management of environment and wildlife; Contaminated sediments; Copper; Copper - analysis; Creeks & streams; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecology; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Management; Environmental monitoring; Environmental Monitoring - methods; Flow Injection Analysis - methods; Fluvial sediments; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Geologic Sediments - chemistry; Heavy metals; Hydrochloric acid; Luminescence; Luminescent Measurements; Luminol - chemistry; Metal concentrations; Metal ions; Metals; Microwaves; Monitoring/Environmental Analysis; Nitrates; Oxalic acid; Reagents; Reference materials; Sediments; Sodium; Soil - chemistry; Soil Pollutants - analysis; Soil testing; Statistical analysis; Trace levels; Ion chromatography; Microwave digestion; Chemiluminescence; Environmental samples; Copper; Cobalt; Copper II; Environmental assessment; Microwave; Digestion; Sediments; Soils; Cobalt II; Environment impact; Environment; Environmental monitoring
• ISSN: 0167-6369; 1573-2959
• DOI: 10.1007/s10661-012-2576-2

A flow injection analysis method based on ion chromatography and luminol chemiluminescence detection was used for the simultaneous determination of copper (II) and cobalt (II) trace levels in soils and sediments following microwave-assisted acid digestion. Detection was based on chemiluminescence (CL) of the luminol–perborate system in an alkaline medium, which is catalyzed by both transition metals. The concentration and pH of the eluent (oxalic acid) was found to affect CL intensities and retention times, both of which were inversely proportional to the oxalic acid concentration. The calibration curves for both metal ions were linear and allowed a limit of detection of 0.003 μg l −1 for cobalt (II) and 0.014 μg l −1 for cooper (II) to be calculated. The proposed method was successfully used to determine both metal ions in certified reference materials of stream and river sediments and soil samples. Based on the results, the determination is free of interferences from the usual concomitant ions.