An ion-imprinted thiocyanato-functionalized mesoporous silica for preconcentration of gold(III) prior to its quantitation by slurry sampling graphite furnace AAS.

A gold(III)-imprinted thiocyanato-functionalized silica network of type SBA-15 was prepared by co-condensation of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) with thiocyanatopropyltriethoxysilane (TCTES) in the presence of Pluronic123 and Au(III) ions. Compared to the non-imprinted material, the imprint has a higher selectivity and adsorption capacity for Au(III). The maximum static adsorption capacity for Au(III) is 475 mg·g for the ion-imprinted, and 62 mg·g for the non-imprinted sorbent. The imprint was applied to the sorption of Au(III) from digested geological samples prior to its determination by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. Adsorption is fast and does not substantially prolong the analytical procedure. Under optimum conditions, the detection limit for Au(III) is 2 ng·g. The method was validated by analyzing certified reference materials, and results were in good agreement with certified values. The procedure was successfully applied to the separation and determination of gold in complex geological samples. Graphical abstract Schematic presentation of the preparation of ion-imprinted thiocyanato-functionalized mesoporous silica and its application for the preconcentration of gold from digested soils before its determination by slurry sampling graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GF AAS).