Simultaneous determination of inorganic anions, calcium and magnesium by suppressed ion chromatography

Suppressed conductimetric detection ion chromatography (IC) was investigated for the separation and detection of common inorganic anions, calcium and magnesium by anion-exchange chromatography using a sodium carbonate–EDTA mobile phase. The formation of anionic Ca2+–EDTA and Mg2+–EDTA complexes allowed its separation from other inorganic anions opening the way for their simultaneous determination in a single chromatographic run. The effect of the pH, carbonate and EDTA concentrations in the eluent and the previous addition of EDTA to the samples has been studied. The optimised experimental conditions were applied to the determination of Ca2+ and Mg2+ in mineral waters with results in agreement with alternative ICP-MS methodologies.