Use of Modified Diethylamine Phosphorus-containing Polymer for Solid Phase Extraction of Cobalt and Lead in Fruit Samples Employing Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry

A solid phase extraction (SPE) method was developed using 1-(2-thiazolylazo)-2-naphthol (TAN) as a chelating reagent and a modified diethylamine phosphorus-containing polymer (DPCP) as the adsorbent which was loaded into the column for preconcentration of trace amounts of cobalt and lead in fresh fruit samples. A preliminary experiment was carried out at pH 6.0, which is best suited for optimization and accumulation of the metal ions from the column After phase separation/elution, the enriched analytes in the final solution were determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). Interfering ions were also studied which were found not to have any significant interference effect on the % recovery of the metals ions. A preconcentration factor of 10 was obtained. The detection limits for the fresh fruit samples were 4.4 mu g L-1 for Co and 1.04 mu g L-1 for Pb. Validation of the developed method was performed using standard reference material SRM 1515 Apple Leaves. The proposed procedure is simple, precise, accurate, and inexpensive.