Cloud point extraction and flame atomic absorption spectrometry analysis of palladium, platinum, and gold ions from industrial polluted soil

Cloud point extraction (CPE) with Tergitol TMN-6 was applied for the extraction of trace amounts of palladium (Pd(II)), platinum (Pt(IV)), and gold (Au(III)) in the soil of industrial sewage. Ammonium pyrolysine dithiocarbamate (APDC) was adopted as the chelating agent prior to CPE and then was detected by atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS). Different parameters such as the concentration of surfactants, chelating agent and salt, sample pH, equilibration temperature and time, centrifugation time and rates, and the effect of foreign ions were studied. Under optimum conditions, the low limits of detections are 1.4, 2.8 and 1.2 ng·ml −1 and the enrichment factors are 21, 12, and 24 for Pd(II), Pt(IV), and Au(III), respectively. The relative standard deviations vary from 0.6% to 1.0% ( n =11). All correlation coefficients of the calibration curves are >0.9960. The proposed method was successfully applied for the determination of Pd(II), Pt(IV), and Au(III) in the real soil of industrial sewage samples.