Zirconium Coprecipitation for Simultaneous Multielement Determination of Trace Metals in Seawater by Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry

Abstract
Zirconium coprecipitation for simultaneous multielement determination of trace metals in seawater has been examined by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry. Optimum pH conditions and other experimental procedures for coprecipitation were investigated in order that the method for multielement preconcentration could be evaluated. The concentration factor of 20 times the original concentration was obtained, although it was limited by spectral interference with zirconium. The present coprecipitation method improves the detection limits and other analytical figures of merit for 17 trace metals (Al, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, La, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, Ti, V, Y, and Zn), which were estimated by the use of artificial seawater samples, and it was applied to natural seawater analysis.