Determination of Cu, Fe, and Ni in Spices after Preconcentration on Diaion-HP 20 Resin as Their Zincon Complexes

In this work, a new separation-preconcentration method was developed for the determination of trace amounts of Cu(II), Ni(II), and Fe(III) by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). Analytes were complexed by using zincon (2-[2-[alpha(2-hydroxy-5-sulfophenylazo) benzylidene] hydrazino] benzoic acid sodium salt). The analyte ions were quantitatively adsorbed on a Diaion HP-20 resin at pH 5. The retained metal ions on the resin were eluted by acetone. The analytical parameters such as pH of the sample, eluent type and volume, sample volume, and flow rates of the solution and the eluent were investigated. The influences of concomitant ions on the recoveries of the analytes were also examined. The instrumental detection limits for the analytes after application of the presented solid-phase extraction procedure were in the range of 0.72-1.41 mu g/L. The validation of the presented procedure was checked by analyzing certified reference material of SRM1515 Apple Leaves. The procedure was performed by analyzing some spice samples.