Ion determination adhered to wiping cloths by ion chromatography

Ultra-fine fiber developed for wiping cloth was used as a sample. In this study an ion chromatographic (IC) determination of ions adhered to Various wiping cloths was developed. Both anions and cations were extracted with 100 ml or 200 ml of purified water by ultrasonic wave extraction. Their concentrations in aqueous solutions were found to be constant at 30 degrees C for more than 25 min of extraction. The effect of storage on the ion concentrations in the extraction solutions was examined. The stored extraction solutions in a bottle tightly fitted with a cap could be kept for 10 days without any variation in the concentrations of ions. After cleaning the wiping cloths, most of the ions were reduced to very low concentrations (1 similar to 2 mu g/g). Calcium ion, however, was reduced to about one third after cleaning. The total cation concentrations in the extraction solutions obtained by the proposed IC method were higher than the total anion concentrations. It can therefore be presumed that the remaining anion was the carbonate ion, since it can not be detected under the proposed IC condition. The present method is applicable to the determination of ions adhered to wiping cloths for quality control.