DIPICOLINIC ACID AS ELUENT FOR THE HIGH-PERFORMANCE LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHIC DETERMINATION OF TRANSITION-METALS USING IMINODIACETIC ACID-BONDED SILICA

The high-performance liquid chromatographic behaviour of Co2+, Zn2+, C u2+, Cd2+ and Pb2+ on a column packed with iminodiacetic acid-bonded s ilica (250 x 3 mm i.d.) was studied using solutions of dipicolinic aci d as eluent. Optimum separation was achieved when the concentration of dipicolinic acid in the eluent was 1 x 10(-3) mol l(-1) and the eluen t pH was 3.0. The possibility of the sensitive indirect spectrophotome tric detection of transition metals at 295 nm is demonstrated. The det ection limits for the investigated metals are in the range 0.1-1 mu g ml(-1). The determination of zinc and lead in industrial waste waters was performed.