Interference with phosphate determination chromium

Metal salts may be used in the treatment of wool. Flame methods for the determination of aluminium [185], barium, chromium, copper, mercury, strontium, tin, zinc [186] and zirconium [187] in wool have been published. Standard additions to wool cleaned by soaking and washing it with disodium EDTA (800 ml of 0.5 M for 30g wool with soaking for 3 days and double washing) was used as the calibration technique. This compensated for interferences from hydrochloric acid and amino-acids. The samples were equilibrated to a constant humidity for 24 h and then 0.3 g sealed with 5 ml of constant boiling point hydrochloric acid in a glass tube. The tubes were placed in an oven at 110UC for 20 h. The nitrous oxide/acetylene flame was used for the determination of aluminium and zirconium. Sulphate, phosphate, citrate and silicate have been found to interfere in the determination of titanium and zirconium in fire-proofed wool [188], These flame... 

Chromium was determined by Williams et cH. (W7) in animal feces samples to study pasture intakes. In the air-acetylene flame the sensitivity limit was 0.15 ppm. Of a variety of substances tested individually, only calcium, silicate, and phosphate depressed chromium absorption. However, when interferences were studied following treatment of solutions with phosphoric acid, manganese sulfate, and potassium bromide, depression was caused by silicon and aluminum, but calcium and magnesium enhanced absorption. Calcium was also capable of abolishing the effect of silicon and aluminum. 

The advantage of discrete analyzers is that sample crossover in the system itself is the lowest possible. Volumes of 75 pi of reagent and sample volumes as large as 100 pi are sufficient. In an automated system with a throughput of 200 determinations per hour in the same sample 6 to 10 components (such as ammonium, alkalinity, aluminum, boron, bromide, calcium, chloride, chromium(VI), cyanide, fluoride, iron, magnesium, nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, etc.) can be determined. In discrete analyzers normally conventional spectrophotometric methods are used. These methods are prone to interference of the matrix of the sample. As a good concept for interference studies still is not available, interferences are as yet not sufficiently studied systematically even for routine analyses. 

Phosphate is mostly determined photometrically through the reaction with ammonium heptamolyb-date in acidic medium in the presence of potassium antimonyl tartrate as a catalyst. 12-Molybdophos-phoric acid is formed that upon reduction with, for example, ascorbic acid has a blue color. The lower limit of detection is lOpgl. Chromium(VI), nitrite, and high concentrations of chloride and iron interfere. The lower recoveries caused by iron are eliminated by addition of hydrogensulfite. 

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