SUPERCRITICAL-FLUID EXTRACTION AND CHROMATOGRAPHY OF METAL-CHELATES AND ORGANOMETALLIC COMPOUNDS

Metal ions in solid and liquid materials can be extracted by supercrit ical CO2 containing a suitable ligand. Fluorine substituted ligands ar e particularly effective because of the high solubilities of fluorinat ed metal chelates in CO2. Organometallic compounds can be extracted by supercritical CO2 with or without derivatization. This in situ chelat ion-supercritical fluid extraction technique followed by supercritical fluid chromatography of the extracted metal chelates may have importa nt applications for environmental trace metal analysis.