Minicolumn field sampling and flow-injection-atomic absorption spectrometric determination of lead in seawater

A simple field-flow preconcentration system has been developed for lead det ermination in seawater. Seawater samples are collected in situ by passing t hem with a pump through minicolumns packed with poly(aminophosphonic acid) chelating resin to retain and preconcentrate lead, and remove the saline ma trix. Minicolumns loaded with lead are then returned to the laboratory wher e they are inserted into a flow-injection system and eluted with a small vo lume of hydrochloric acid into the nebulizer-burner system of a flame atomi c absorption spectrometer. The detection limit for lead in seawater was 2.8 ng l(-1). This procedure was applied to the determination of lead in seawa ter samples from Galicia (Spain). (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.