Preconcentration of rare earth elements on silica gel loaded with 1-phenyl-3-methyl-4-benzoylpyrazol-5-one prior to their determination by ICP-AES

A new chelating resin, silica gel loaded with 1-phenyl-3-methyl-4-benzoylpyrazol-5-one (PMBP), was prepared and used for the preconcentration of trace amounts of rare earth elements (REEs) in water samples prior to their determination by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). REEs (La, Eu, Yb and Y) were quantitatively retained on the column packed with modified silica gel in the pH range 5 - 8 and separated from the matrix, and then recovered by eluting with 2.0 mol L-1 HNO3. The adsorption capacity of modified silica gel for La, Eu, Yb and Y was 0.208, 0.249, 0.239 and 0.224 mmol g(-1), respectively. The method has been successfully applied for the determination of La, Eu, Yb and Y in geological and environmental samples with satisfactory results.