NOVEL WEAK ACID CATION-EXCHANGE COLUMN

A cation-exchange column with carboxylate cation-exchange sites was developed. Compared with conventional surface-sulfonated or latex agglomerated resins, this weak acid cation exchanger has a high selectivity for hydronium ions. Mono- and divalent cations such as alkali and alkaline earth metals can therefore be determined simultaneously in less than 10 min using a weakly acidic eluent under isocratic conditions. Because the ethylvinylbenzene-divinylbenzene substrate is highly cross-linked, the new separator is solvent compatible, thus allowing the use of organic solvents to alter the selectivity of the separation and to remove organic contaminants from the column. The separation characteristics of this column are presented and various applications are discussed.