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Synthesis and application of a thermosensitive tri-block copolymer as an efficient sample treatment technique for preconcentration and ultra-trace detection of lead ions

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Abstract

We have designed and synthesized a thermosensitive tri-block copolymer for selective trace extraction of Pb(II) ions from biological and food samples. The polymer was characterized by Fourier transform IR and NMR spectroscopy, and by gel permeation chromatography. The critical aggregation concentration and lower critical solution temperature were determined via fluorescence and UV spectrophotometry, respectively. The effects of solution pH value, amount of copolymer, of the temperature on extraction and on phase separation, and of the matrix on the extraction of Pb(II) were optimized. Pb(II) ions were then quantified by FAAS. The use of this copolymer resulted in excellent figures of merit including a calibration plot extending from 0.5 to 160 μg L−1 (with an R2 of >0.99), a limit of detection (LOD) as low as 90 pg L−1, an extraction efficiency of >98 %, and relative standard deviations of <4 % for eight separate extraction experiments.

In this paper, for the first time an intelligent system using a thermosensitive tri-block copolymer for selective trace removal of Pb(II) in biological and food samples was designed and its determination was carried out by flame atomic absorption spectrometry.

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Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge financial support from the Research Council of Shahid Beheshti University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, Shahid Beheshti University, G.C., Tehran, 1983963113, Iran

    Mohammad Behbahani, Hamid Sadeghi Abandansari, Meysam Babapour, Akbar Bagheri & Mohammad Reza Nabid

  2. Department of Chemistry, Center for Drug Design and Advanced Biotechnology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, 30303, USA

    Mani Salarian

Authors
  1. Mohammad Behbahani
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  2. Hamid Sadeghi Abandansari
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  3. Mani Salarian
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  4. Meysam Babapour
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  5. Akbar Bagheri
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  6. Mohammad Reza Nabid
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Akbar Bagheri or Mohammad Reza Nabid.

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Behbahani, M., Abandansari, H.S., Salarian, M. et al. Synthesis and application of a thermosensitive tri-block copolymer as an efficient sample treatment technique for preconcentration and ultra-trace detection of lead ions. Microchim Acta 181, 129–137 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-013-1079-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-013-1079-3

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