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Optimization of separation of heavy metals by capillary electrophoresis with contactless conductivity detection
Author(s) -
Lau Hiu Fung,
Quek Ngee Mian,
Law Wai Siang,
Zhao Jian Hong,
Hauser Peter C.,
Li Sam Fong Yau
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
electrophoresis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.666
H-Index - 158
eISSN - 1522-2683
pISSN - 0173-0835
DOI - 10.1002/elps.201000603
Subject(s) - capillary electrophoresis , tap water , chromatography , electrolyte , tartaric acid , conductivity , chemistry , detection limit , metal , analytical chemistry (journal) , environmental science , environmental engineering , electrode , citric acid , organic chemistry
The separation of four toxic metal ions (Cr 3+ , Pb 2+ , Hg 2+ , Ni 2+ ) was achieved by optimizing the composition of the histidine/tartaric acid background electrolyte. An on‐column preconcentration technique, viz. field amplified sample injection, was performed to improve the sensitivity. This method afforded an enhancement factor of up to 91 800 fold with the LODs ranging from 0.005 to 2.32 μg/L, which were well below the maximum contaminant levels set by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The robustness of this method was demonstrated with its application to the analysis of real samples including tap water, drain water, and reservoir water with recoveries between 90 and 120%.