Abstract

Microwave digestion and solid-state extraction were studied for determination of trace aluminum{Al(III)} in human urine samples. A mixed acid of nitric acid and hydrogen peroxide was added to urine samples, organic materials were destructed in a home microwave oven and dried in a drying oven. The dried residues were dissolved in a sulfuric acid solution. The solution was eluted through a XAD-4 resin column adsorbed with 8-hydroxyquinoline(Oxine, HQ). Al(III)-8-hydroxyquinolinate complex was formed in the column and eluted with 0.5 M nitric acid solution. The Al(III) eluted was determined by graphite atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Various experimental conditions of followings were investigated for the optimization : the type of acid to dissolve the residues, the amount of HQ adsorbed on the resin, the pH of sample solutions, the type and concentration of acid to elute the complex from column and so on. The contents of Al(III) in real samples were determinated by a calibration curve method. The recovery in standard spiked samples was 94~101% and the detection limit of this procedure was 0.05 ng/mL.