Rapid determination of aluminum by UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy with application of suitable adsorbents

Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) can be used as a rapid and sensitive method for the quantitative determination of low amounts of aluminum. In this analytical technique, the analyte in samples are extracted onto a solid sorbent matrix loaded with a colorimetric reagent and then quantified directly on the adsorbent surface. Alternatively, colored aluminum complexes formed in solution can also be immobilized onto adsorbent surface and be measured by DRS technique. Octadecyl silica disk, methyltrioctylammonium chloride–naphthalene and MCM-41 were examined as adsorbents. Eriochrome cyanine R and quinalizarin were used as coloring reagents. Optimal sorption conditions were found for each system of analyte–reagent–adsorbent. The concentration of analyte is determined using the appropriate form of the Kubelka–Munk function. We obtained for each of the aluminium–reagent–adsorbent system a calibration curve by plotting the absorbance versus the log 102[Al3+] μg ml−1. The linear dynamic range extends over two orders of magnitude within 0.01–15 μg ml−1 with little differences in the range and in the correlation coefficients among the adsorbents. We consider that for a rapid determination of aluminum a spot-test-DRS combination with a detection limit of 1.0 × 10−2 μg ml−1 is the more facile and preferred technique.