Separation and preconcentration of cadmium ions in natural water using a liquid membrane system with 2-acetylpyridine benzoylhydrazone as carrier by flame atomic absorption spectrometry

A method for the determination of Cd in natural water by flame atomic absorption spectrometry after separation and preconcentration with a bulk liquid membrane containing 2-acetylpyridine benzoylhydrazone as mobile carrier dissolved in toluene has been developed. Effects of carrier concentration, volume of organic phase and pH of feed and receiving solutions on the flux for Cd across the membrane have been studied, being optimized by the modified simplex method. Optimum values for these variables were: carrier concentration of 0.84 g l−1, 74 ml of toluene, pH 7.8 in the feed solution and 0.06 mol l−1 of HNO3 in the receiving solution, allowing a preconcentration factor of 17.9. The preconcentration step required 7 h to be accomplished. The recovery of Cd at optimum conditions was 101.0±2.7%, even with saline matrix, with good relative standard deviation (2.5%) at 95% confidence level. The detection limit of blank sample was 6 ng l−1 of Cd. The method was validated using a certified reference material (TMDA-62) and also applied successfully to the analysis of Cd in four samples of seawater collected from the coast of Huelva (Spain). The relative errors of determinations were −7.6% for certified reference material and ranging between +2.4 and +7.1%, for samples of seawater (obtained between the results of the proposed and differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry methods).