Solid phase extraction of copper(II) from aqueous solutions by adsorption of its 2-propylpiperidine-1-carbodithioate complex on alumina column

Abstract

A novel approach has been developed for the solid phase extraction of copper(II) based on the adsorption of its 2-propylpiperidine-1-carbodithioate complex on alumina column. The effect of various parameters such as acidity, sample volume, interfering ions, etc., were studied in detail. The adsorbed complex could be easily eluted using polyethylene glycol-sulfuric acid mixture and the concentration of copper has been determined using visible spectrophotometry. The calibration graph was linear in the range 0-1 μgmL-1 copper(II) with a detection limit of 5 μgL-1. A highest preconcentration factor of 25 could be obtained for 250 mL sample volume using glass wool as support for the alumina bed adsorbent. Copper(II) could be effectively separated from other ions such as nickel, cobalt, zinc, chloride, sulfate, nitrate, etc., and the method has been successfully applied to study the recovery of copper in electroplating waste water and spiked water samples.