Use of tube radial distribution of ternary mixed carrier solvents for introduction of absorption reagent for metal ion separation and online detection into capillary.

When ternary mixed solvents consisting of water-hydrophilic/hydrophobic organic solvents are fed into a micro-space under laminar flow conditions, the solvent molecules are radially distributed in the micro-space. The specific fluidic behavior of the solvents is called the "tube radial distribution phenomenon (TRDP)". A novel capillary chromatography method was developed based on the TRDP that creates the inner major and outer minor phases in a tube, where the outer phase acts as a pseudo-stationary phase. This is called "tube radial distribution chromatography (TRDC)". In this study, Chrome Azurol S as an absorption reagent was introduced into the TRDC system for metal ion separation and online detection. The fused-silica capillary tube (75 μm id and 110 cm length) and water-acetonitrile-ethyl acetate mixture (3:8:4 volume ratio) including 20 mM Chrome Azurol S as a carrier solution were used. Metal ions, i.e. Co(II), Cu(II), Ni(II), Al(III), and Fe(III), as models were injected into the present TRDC system. Characteristic individual absorption characteristics and elution times were obtained as the result of complex formation between the metal ions and Chrome Azurol S in the water-acetonitrile-ethyl acetate mixture solution. The elution times of the metal ions were examined based on their absorption behavior; Co(II), Ni(II), Al(III), Fe(III), and Cu(II) were eluted in this order over the elution times of 4.7-6.8 min. The elution orders were determined from the molar ratios of metal ion to Chrome Azurol S and Irving-Williams series for bivalent metal ions.