Adsorption of As (V) by poly (N-octyl-4-vinylpyridinium) bromide: Determination of As (V) by direct measurement of fluorescence on the solid phase

Adsorption of As (V) by poly (N-octyl-4-vinylpyridinium) bromide (P4VPyC8), used as solid phase, was studied. Determination of As (V) was carried out by direct measurement of the fluorescence intensity on the solid phase. Adsorption variables were optimized for obtaining optimum values of pH and agitation time, where pH9.0 and 60min were established as optimum values. The adsorption of arsenic (V) was characterized by infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and scanning electron microscopy. It was found that the fluorescence of the solid phase increases as the concentration of arsenic increases. Linearity was observed in the concentration range 6.80 to 90.0μgL−1. The detection limit for determination of As (V) by this method was 2.24μgL−1 and the relative standard deviation (RSD) was 1.72%. The amount of retained As (V) was 0.154mg/g of solid phase. The determination of As (V) in a sample of tap water by this method was well compared with the value reported by an external certified laboratory. Therefore, the method of analysis proposed here could be used as a screening methodology for monitoring the fulfillment of the norm for arsenic concentration in tap water. [Display omitted] •Poly (N-octyl-4-vinylpyridinium) bromide was used as solid phase for adsorption of As (V) from aqueous solutions.•The direct measurement of fluorescence from the solid phase can be used to develop a method for determination of As (V).•The fluorescence of the solid phase increases with increasing the concentration of adsorbed As (V).•Application of a method for the direct determination of As (V) on the solid phase.