Solid-phase extraction and subsequent capillary zone electrophoresis of trace metal ions as soluble dithiocarbamate complexes

Summary

Modest detectability in capillary electrophoresis is often a challenge for the determination of trace-level metal ions. This limitation has been addressed by the development of an enrichment procedure combining the formation of metal bis(carboxymethyl)dithiocarbamate complexes, water soluble at basic pH and sparingly soluble in an acidic environment, and solidphase extraction. Appropriate conditions were developed for a solid-phase extraction step well compatible with subsequent capillary electrophoretic separation in terms of the composition of electrophoresis and eluting buffers. At pH below 4 when the ligand carboxyl groups are non-ionized, metal ion complexes have no apparent charge and are efficiently retained on a conventional C₁₆ cartridge. Application of a basic eluent, a borate buffer at pH9, causes the complexes to be ionized and eluted rapidly and quantitatively. Parameters affecting the retention/recovery behavior, such as the pH and ligand concentration of the loading solution, flow-rate, eluting buffer pH and concentration, etc, were examined to attain the best possible enrichment factors for trace metal ions. As a result, an increase in sensitivity over two orders of magnitude was gained that permitted lowering the detection limits for copper(II), lead(II), cadmium(II), nickel(II), and mercury(II) down to a low-μg L⁻¹ level.