Flame atomic absorption spectrometric method for the determination of beryllium in natural waters after separation with N-benzoyl-N-phenylhydroxylamine.

A procedure for the determination of beryllium in natural waters is proposed. A solvent extraction step was performed in order to overcome interferences and isolate beryllium before it was atomized by direct nebulization of the organic phase in a dinitrogen oxide-acetylene flame. N-Benzoyl-N-phenylhydroxylamine was used as the extractant whilst isobutyl methyl ketone was the organic solvent. The effects of pH, amine concentration in the organic phase, shaking time, stability of the complex and nature of the extracted species were studied. The detection limit and linear response range are 2 ng ml-1 and 0-1.0 microgram ml-1, respectively. The result obtained for a standard reference material compared well with the quoted value.