Bromate determination in water after membrane complexation and total reflection X-ray fluorescence analysis

A new method for the determination of trace levels of bromates by selective membrane collection is presented. Various membranes containing a few micrograms of different complexing reagents in a poly(vinyl chloride) matrix were tested. These membranes were produced on the surface of quartz glass (reflectors), and they were immersed in solutions containing bromate and bromide ions. At the first stage the prepared membranes collected both bromate and bromide ions, so different bromide masking agents were put in the analyzed solutions to avoid bromide collection. By the end of the equilibration time, the reflectors were left to dry, and they were analyzed by total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF). The poly(vinyl chloride) with aliquat-336 membrane and o-dianisidin complexing agent gave the best results. The minimum detection limit was equal to 0.9 ng/mL for ultrapure water and 1.0 ng/mL for drinking water.