Chromium speciation and preconcentration using zirconium(IV) and zirconium(IV) phosphate chemically immobilized onto silica gel surface using a flow system and F AAS

A procedure for chromium speciation by F AAS using a flow system has been proposed. In this system, Cr(III) and Cr(VI) ions were adsorbed sequentially onto a mini-column packed with silica gel modified with zirconium phosphate and a mini-column packed with silica gel modified with zirconium oxide, respectively. The elution of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) was made with, respectively, nitric acid solution and tris(hydroxymethyl)methylamine (THAM) solution in reverse mode and determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry without interference of the matrix. Chemical and flow variables as well as concomitant ions were studied in the developed procedure. The enrichment factor for Cr(III) and Cr(VI) was 20.8 and 24.9, respectively, using a preconcentration time of 3.75 min. The limit of detection for Cr(III) and Cr(VI) was 1.9, and 2.3 μg l−1, respectively. The precision of the method, evaluated as the relative standard deviation in solutions containing 100 μg l−1 of chromium species, by analyzing a series of seven replicates, was lower than 3.0%. The accuracy was assessed through recovery experiments of water samples and using another methodology.