ON-LINE MINI-COLUMN SOLID-PHASE EXTRACTION COUPLED WITH SEQUENTIAL INJECTION FOR THE DETERMINATION OF CADMIUM IN ENVIRONMENTAL SAMPLES

□Trace cadmium(II) in environmental samples was separated and enriched in an automated fashion using a diphenylcarbazone-functionalized silica gel mini-column coupling with sequential injection. Cadmium was determined using a multicomponent system involving the analyte, potassium iodide, ethyl violet, and polyvinyl alcohol. Under the optimum conditions, the linear range for cadmium(II) was 0.015–0.50 µ g mL−1, and the detection limit was 0.012 µ g mL−1. The relative standard deviation of 11 determinations for 0.1 and 0.2 µ g mL−1 standard solutions was smaller than 3.5%. This method was applied for the determination of cadmium(II) in water, plant, soil, and electroplating wastewater. No statistically significant differences in the results were observed between the reported method and those obtained by atomic absorption spectrometry. The analysis was performed within 13 min and a total reagent volume of only 0.14 mL (0.07 mL of eluent and 0.07 mL of reagents) was consumed in each determination of cadmium(II).