"The Greener, the Better": Ionic Liquids for microscale separation and preconcentration techniques in trace element analysis

WUILLOUD, RODOLFO G.

Mar del Plata

Simposio; ELEVENTH RIO SYMPOSIUM ON ATOMIC SPECTROMETRY; 2010

Universidad de Buenos Aires y Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica

The effects of trace elements on environment and mans health have fostered the development of analytical techniques and instrumentation capable of measuring concentrations at parts per billion levels or less [1]. Despite the fact that atomic spectrometry-based techniques are mostly used for ultra trace determinations in order to achieve accurate, reliable and sensitive results, it is necessary to follow separation and preconcentration procedures for analyte enrichment and matrix elimination [2]. Among several techniques, liquid-liquid, cloud point and solid phase extractions have been used to accomplish these goals and could provide significant benefits for preserving our environment when are developed at microscale level of solvents, reagents and wastes. Moreover, utilization of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which have been traditionally employed in liquid-liquid extraction, are widely known to be one of the most important sources of environmental contamination since the beginning of industrialization age [3]. In order to overcome these difficulties, state-of-the-art Green Chemistry developments propose Ionic Liquids (ILs) as a new generation of solvents that are generally considered to be environmentally friendlier than common organic solvents and have unique characteristics (e.g. no effective vapor pressure, adjustable viscosity and miscibility in aqueous phases) [4]. Thus, ILs are showing good performance as highly efficient extractant phases to improve analyte selectivity and sensitivity, turning them into important tools for spectrometric analysis.[1] R. Cornelis, J.A. Caruso, H. Crews, K.G. Heumann, Handbook of Elemental Speciation: Techniques and Methodology, John Wiley & Sons Ltd, Chichester, 2003.[2] Y. Wang, M.L. Chen, J.H. Wang, Appl. Spectrosc. Rev., 42 (2007) 103.[3] Y. Kou, L. He, Prog. Chem., 20 (2008) 5.[4] R.D. Rogers, K.R. Seddon, Science, 302 (2003) 792.