Determination of cadmium in real water samples by flame atomic absorption spectrometry after cloud point extraction

Water pollution is a global threat and it is the leading world wide cause of death and diseases. The awareness of the potential danger posed by heavy metals to the ecosystems and in particular to human health has grown tremendously in the past decades. Separation and preconcentration procedures are considered of great importance in analytical and environmental chemistry. Cloud point is one of the most reliable and sophisticated separation methods for determination of traces quantities of heavy metals. Cloud point methodology was successfully employed for preconcentration of trace quantities of cadmium prior to their determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). The metals react with 8-hydroxquinoline in a surfactant Triton X-114 medium. The following parameters such as pH, concentration of the reagent and Triton X-114, equilibrating temperature and centrifuging time were evaluated and optimized to enhance the sensitivity and extraction efficiency of the proposed method. Dilution of the surfactant-rich phase with acidified ethanol was performed after phase separation and the cadmium content was measured by FAAS. The validation of the procedure was carried out by spiking addition methods. The method was applied for determination of Cd in water samples of different ecosystems (lake and river). (author)