Preconcentration of Pb(II), Cd(II), Cu(II) and Hg(II) with 2-mercapto-5-phenylamino-1,3,4-thiadiazole impregnated on silica gel

Silica gel modified by the addition of 2-mercapto-5-phenylamino-1,3,4-thiadiazole (MPATD) was developed for the preconcentration of Pb(II), Cd(II), Cu(II) and Hg(II) at trace levels. A “series” experimental procedure permitted the determination of the optimal working conditions (time and pH) and an “on-column” experimental method permitted the determination of the quantity of MPATD retained on silica gel, the uptake capacity, the most suitable eluent and the minimum volume of eluent for which the maximum quantity of metal cations is recovered. The maximal retention capacity on the impregnated silica gel columns was obtained at pH 7.5–8 and was 1500 μg g −1 for Pb(II) and about 1000 μg g −1 for Cd(II), Cu(II) and Hg(II). The effect of preconcentration is relevant; on passing 1 l of solution containing 1 μg ml −1 of cation through a column containing 5 g of impregnated silicagel, after elution with 30–50 ml of the appropriate eluent the cation concentration increased about 15–20-fold. The determination of cations by flame AAS was statistically evaluated and showed recoveries higher than 96% for Pb(II), 98.5% for Cd(II) and 97.95% for Cu(II) after elution with 4 M HNO 3 and about 99.15% for Hg(II) after elution with thiourea.