Determination of cadmium by flame-atomic absorption spectrometry after preconcentration on silica gel modified with cupferron

A method for the determination of cadmium by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) after its preconcentration onto a column containing silica gel modified with cupferron was developed. The pH, amount of adsorbent material, concentration of eluent, volume of sample and amount of Cd were optimized. The effect of several foreign ions was also investigated and showed that the retention of cadmium depended on the amounts of Zn(II) and Cu(II) present and that these interferences could be overcome by using a 0.05 mmol KI. An enrichment factor of up to 30 was obtained , the LOD was 0.5 µg L-1 (3sigma) and the LOQ was 2.0 µg L-1 (10sigma) with rsd of 1.1% (n = 10). The accuracy of the proposed method was ascertained by using certified reference material and the obtained result (3.93 ± 0.01 µg g-1) agrees with the certified value (4.15 ± 0.38 µg g-1). The determination of Cd in nail polish showed quantitative recoveries for the spiked samples. The proposed method is characterized by simplicity, efficiency and low cost.