Size exclusion chromatography of aluminium species in natural waters

Size exclusion chromatography was used in order to characterize organically bound aluminium in natural water samples. A Superose column was used, with 0.1 M acetate buffer (pH 4.6) as mobile phase. Three detection systems were used; graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry, post-column reaction with pyrocatechol violet and UV spectrometry at 254 nm. A single peak was obtained for organic aluminium in natural waters. The results indicated that aluminium binds with a broad size range of humic substances, and that the inorganic aluminium was present in polymeric form.