Spectrophotometric flow-injection determination of zinc in plant digests based on a spot test

A spot test was implemented in a flow-injection system for the spectrophotometric determination of zinc in digests of plant materials. It is based on the influence of Zn2+ on the oxidation rate of 1-naphthylethylenediamine (NED) by hexacyanoferrate(III) under acidic conditions. In order to control the precipitate formation and to maintain the resulting suspension, a micellar medium was established by adding Triton X-100. The proposed system handles about 65 samples per hour, meaning 72 μg NED and 9.0 mg K3[Fe(CN)6] per determination. Baseline drift is usually <0.01 absorbance per hour and the analytical signals for 0.5–2.5 mg l−1 Zn range within ca. 0.07–0.45 absorbance. Linearity of the analytical curve is fair (r>0.999, n=6) and detection limit was estimated as 0.2 mg l−1 Zn. Results are precise (R.S.D.<1%, n=10) and in agreement with flame atomic absorption spectrometry and with certified values of standard reference materials.