Selective Separation of Tri- and Pentavalent Arsenic in Aqueous Matrix with a Macrocycle-Immobilized Solid-Phase Extraction System

Abstract

A simple flow-based method was developed for the selective separation of arsenic species (+3 and +5) using a macrocycle-immobilized solid phase extraction (SPE) system, commonly known as molecular recognition technology (MRT) gel. Arsenic species in solution or in the eluent were subsequently quantified with graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. The separation behaviors of As(III) and As(V) on MRT–SPE were investigated. It was found that As(V) can be selectively collected on the SPE system within the range of pH 4 to 9, while As(III) was passed through the MRT–SPE. The retention capacity of the MRT–SPE material for As(V) was found to be 0.25 ± 0.04 mmol g−1. The detection limit of the method for As(V) was 0.06 μg L−1, and the relative standard deviation was 2.9 % (n = 10, C = 1 μmol L−1). Interference from the matrix ions was studied. In order to validate the developed method, certified reference materials of effluent wastewater and groundwater samples were analyzed, and the determined values were in good agreement with the certified values. The proposed method was successfully applied to the speciation analysis of tri- and pentavalent arsenic in natural water samples showing satisfactory recoveries (≥ 98.7 %).