Cloud point extraction-flame atomic absorption spectrometry for pre-concentration and determination of trace amounts of silver ions in water samples

A cloud point extraction (CPE) method was used as a pre-concentration strategy prior to the determination of trace levels of silver in water by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) The pre-concentration is based on the clouding phenomena of non-ionic surfactant, triton X-114, with Ag (I)/diethyldithiocarbamate (DDTC) complexes in which the latter is soluble in a micellar phase composed by the former. When the temperature increases above its cloud point, the Ag (I)/DDTC complexes are extracted into the surfactant-rich phase. The factors affecting the extraction efficiency including pH of the aqueous solution, concentration of the DDTC, amount of the surfactant, incubation temperature and time were investigated and optimized. Under the optimal experimental conditions, no interference was observed for the determination of 100 ng·mL(−1) Ag(+) in the presence of various cations below their maximum concentrations allowed in this method, for instance, 50 μg·mL(−1) for both Zn(2+) and Cu(2+), 80 μg·mL(−1) for Pb(2+), 1000 μg·mL(−1) for Mn(2+), and 100 μg·mL(−1) for both Cd(2+) and Ni(2+). The calibration curve was linear in the range of 1–500 ng·mL(−1) with a limit of detection (LOD) at 0.3 ng·mL(−1). The developed method was successfully applied for the determination of trace levels of silver in water samples such as river water and tap water.