Chemically-Modified Activated Carbon with L-Arginine for Selective Solid Phase Extraction and Preconcentration of Metal Ions

In this study, a new sorbent of chemically-modified activated carbon with L-arginine (AC-Arg) has been produced as solid-phase extraction, to trace Zn(II) and Cd(II) ions in real samples, including soil and water samples, by Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (FAAS). Once the surface coverage value is determined, the surface modification has been investigated and assessed, while having employed both elemental analysis as well as Attenuated Total Reflection InfraRed (ATR-IR) spectroscopy. The separation/preconcentration factors of the analyte, including the effect of pH, shaking time, sample volume, elution condition, and interfering ions have been studied. Following the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) recommendations, the detection limits (3σ) of these methods are 2.4 and 1.6 ng/mL, using AC-Arg for Zn(II) and Cd(II)  respectively. The relative standard deviation (RSD) under optimum conditions is less than 1% (n=6).