Selective Separation, Preconcentration, and Determination of Au (III) Ions in Environmental Samples by Coprecipitation With a 1,2,4-Triazole Derivative

An effective, simple, lowcost, and accurate separation and preconcentration procedure which has minimal impact on the environment has been developed. It is based on the carrier element-free coprecipitation (CEFC) of Au(III)ions using N-benzyl-2-{[3-methyl-4-(2morpholine-4-ylethyl)-5-oxo-4,5-dihydro-1H-1,2, 4-triazole-1-yl] acetyl)hydrazinecarboxamide (BODAH) as an organic coprecipitant. Determination of the Au(IH) ion levels was performed by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). The developed method provided a detection limit of 0.36 μg L-1 and the relative standard deviation for Au(III)ions was found to be 5.1%. Spike tests and certified reference material analyses were performed to validate the method. The developed method was systematically investigated in different sets of experimental parameters that influence the quantitative recovery of the Au(III)ions. Based on these investigations, the optimum conditions for the determination of Au(III) ions at trace levels were established. The coprecipitation method was applied to anodic slime, gold ore, soil, and water samples to determine their Au(III)levels.