Determination of Total Chromium at Ultratrace Levels in Water and Soil Samples by Coprecipitation Microsample Injection System Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry

A simple, robust, and novel analytical procedure was developed for determination of total chromium (Cr) by carrier element coprecipitation (CECP) coupled microsample injection system with flame atomic absorption spectrometry. For this method, Cr(III) was oxidized by Ce(SO4)(2) in acidic media, and the resulting solution formed coprecipitates with ammonium pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate in the presence of Ce(III). The effective parameters of the developed method have been optimized and studied in detail. The LOD and enrichment factor of CECP were 2.13 mu g/L and 100 +/- 2.8, respectively, with 40 mL initial volumes. The RSD values (n = 6) were <5%. The applicability and accuracy of CECP were estimated by the analysis of total Cr in industrial effluent wastewater by the standard addition method (recoveries > 96%). The accuracy of total Cr by CECP after microwave acid digestion was checked by using a certified reference material (GBW 07309 Stream Sediment). The difference between the found and certified values was not significant (P>0.05). The proposed method was successfully applied to natural drinking water, industrial effluent wastewater, and the exchangeable fraction of garden soil from Denizli, Turkey.