Flow injection on-line preconcentration on microcolumn packed with chitosan for the determination of trace amounts of palladium by flame atomic absorption spectrometry

A new method for the determination of trace amounts of palladium by flow injection on-line preconcentration on a polytetrafluoroethylene microcolumn packed with chitosan coupled with flame atomic absorption spectrometry has been established. Palladium was mixed on-line with KSCN and then preconcentrated on chitosan in the form of Pd(SCN)(4)(2-). The preconcentration. factor was found to be 49 at a sample volume of 13.5 4 mL and sampling frequency of 27 h(-1). The linear range was 0.01 similar to 0.4 mg/L. Detection limit(3S) of this method was 1.4 mug/L. RSD obtained by testing at concentration level of 0.2 and 0.05 mg/L for 11 times, were 1.3% and 4.0% respectively. Satisfactory results were obtained in the determination of trace amounts of palladium in catalyst samples. Preliminary discussion about sorption mechanism has been done in the paper.