A simple separation/preconcentration method for the determination of aluminum in drinking water and biological sample Original Research Article

A simple efficient separation/preconcentration method for aluminum (Al3+) was develop to overcome the problem of high matrix species, which may interfere with the determination of trace quantity of Al3+ in environmental and biological samples. The separation of Al3+ in water and acid digested scalp hair samples was carried out from interfering cations by complexing them with 2-methyl-8-hydroxyquinoline (quinaldine) on activated silica. Whereas the separated trace amounts of Al3+ was preconcentrated by cloud point extraction using 3,5,7,2′-4′ pentahydroxy flavone (morin) as complexing reagent, the resulted complex was entrapped in non-ionic surfactant octylphenoxypolyethoxyethanol (Triton X-114). The enriched Al3+ in sample solutions were determined by spectrofluorometry at λexcitation 440 nm and λemission 505 nm. The validity of the separation/preconcentration of Al3+ methodologies was checked by certified reference material of water (SRM-1643e) and human hair (NCSZC81002). The impact of Al3+ levels in drinking water of two regions of Sindh, Pakistan was evaluated by simultaneous analysis of drinking water and scalp hair samples of human subjects. The levels of Al3+ in drinking water were positively correlated with its levels in scalp hair samples of both gender of understudy areas (r = 0.784–0.862).