A novel hydrophobic task specific ionic liquid for the extraction of Cd(II) from water and food samples as applied to AAS determination.

Hydrophobic task specific ionic liquid (TSIL) functionalized 2-mercaptobenzothiazole (MBT) was synthesized and characterized by NMR and HRMS. The capability of TSIL-MBT for the selective separation and preconcentration of Cd(2+), which was determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) from water and food samples, was investigated. The TSIL-MBT with high selectivity for the extraction of Cd(2+) was discussed by comparing with a traditional extractant, such as ammonium pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (APDC) and diethydithiocarbamate (DDTC), and the recoveries of the extraction Cd(2+) by TSIL-MBT were much better than APDC and DDTC. The proposed method was evaluated by analyzing two certified reference materials. The Cd(2+) concentration, determined by the developed methodology, was in good agreement with certified values.