Field-deployable spectrophotometric determination of uranium in aqueous systems using Br-PADAP

The 2-(5-bromo-2-pyridylazo)-5-diethylaminophenol (Br-PADAP) spectrophotometric method is widely employed for uranium (U(VI)) determination due to its high sensitivity. However, conventional protocols require toxic sodium fluoride as both a masking agent and a stabilizer, posing environmental and operational risks. To address this limitation, we developed an eco-friendly alternative utilizing low-toxicity sodium dodecyl sulfonate (SDS) for dual-functional masking and stabilization. Critical parameters including pH, reagent stoichiometry, and reaction kinetics were systematically optimized. The Br-PADAP-U(VI) complex exhibited maximum absorbance at 576 nm (ε = 4.33 × 104 L mol−1 cm−1), with rapid color development and stable signal retention (>4 h) under ambient conditions. Linear Beer–Lambert compliance was observed within 0.0–4.0 μg per mL U(VI), yielding a Sandell sensitivity of 0.0055 μg cm−2. Notably, the method demonstrated exceptional tolerance toward coexisting ions (Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Fe3+, Cl−, CO32−, and Cr2O72−). Validation via spike-recovery tests in environmental water samples achieved 96.4–104% recoveries (0.5%< RSD <2%), confirming the reliability for field-deployable U(VI) quantification with advantages of simplicity, rapidity, and accuracy.