Xylenol Orange, Zirconium(IV) and Fluoride Color Reaction in Mixed Micelles of N-Hexadecylpyridinium Chloride and Brij 35, and Its Analytical Application1

Abstract

Abstract The color reaction between Xylenol orange (XO), zirconium (IV) and fluoride ions in the presence of various surfactants alone or in combination was studied at various pH. The XO -zirconium)IV)-fluoride ion ternary complex in mixed micellar media containing a low concentration of N-hexadecylpyridinium chloride (HPC) as a cationic surfactant and large amounts of (poly{oxyethylene)dodecyl ether (Brij 35) as a nonionic surfactant at weakly acidic media was found to be the most stable, and showed a remarkable bathochromic shift and clear contrast against a reagent blank. The maximum absorbance was at 600 nm in the mixed micellar media at pH 3.5, and the apparent molar absorptivities at 600 nm were 7.0 × 104 1 mol−1 cm−1 for zirconium(IV) and 1.4 × 104 1 mol−1 cm−1 for fluoride ion. The calibration curves covered the ranges of 0.5 ∼ 20.0 μg/10 ml zirconium! IV) and 0 ∼ 20.0 μg/10 ml fluoride ion with the Sandell sensitivities being 0.0013 μg/cm2 for zirconium(IV) and 0.0016 μg/cm2 for fluoride ion.