The Determination of Common Anion Concentrations in Surface and Groundwater Samples by Eluent-Suppressed Ion Chromatography

An automated ion chromatograph using hollow-fibre eluent suppression is shown to be a suitable instrument for continuous determination of F − , CI − , PO 4 −3 , NO 3 and SO 4 −2 at environmental concentrations in natural surface and ground water samples. Analytical precision for both standard anion solutions and samples, and the effect of NO −3 sample concentration on NO −3 retention time, is shown. Peak height and peak area quantification are compared and the effects of high CI − content, pH, storage and filtration on sample analysis are determined. The advantages of frequent automatic recalibration in maintaining reproducibility in continuous analysis are shown.