Micelle Mediated Trace Level Sulfide Quantification through Cloud Point Extraction

A simple cloud point extraction protocol has been proposed for the quantification of sulfide at trace level. The method is based on the reduction of iron (III) to iron (II) by the sulfide and the subsequent complexation of metal ion with nitroso-R salt in alkaline medium. The resulting green-colored complex was extracted through cloud point formation using cationic surfactant, that is, cetylpyridinium chloride, and the obtained surfactant phase was homogenized by ethanol before its absorbance measurement at 710 nm. The reaction variables like metal ion, ligand, surfactant concentration, and medium pH on the cloud point extraction of the metal-ligand complex have been optimized. The interference effect of the common anions and cations was studied. The proposed method has been successfully applied to quantify the trace level sulfide in the leachate samples of the landfill and water samples from bore wells and ponds. The validity of the proposed method has been studied by spiking the samples with known quantities of sulfide as well as comparing with the results obtained by the standard method.