Novel coupling of surfactant assisted emulsification dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction with spectrophotometric determination for ultra trace nickel

In this work, dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (DLLME) was improved and the preconcentration method named as surfactant assisted emulsification dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (SAE-DLLME) was established for ultra trace nickel preconcentration and spectrophotometric determination. Non-ionic surfactant Triton X-100 (TX-100) was used as emulsifier and Triton X-114 (TX-114) was investigated as comparison. Disperser solvent was substituted by surfactant, which could afford more effective emulsification and make the extraction relatively greener. The extraction was accomplished efficiently in only 1 min during manual shaking. Compared to traditional DLLME, the developed SAE-DLLME pretreatment was simple, rapid and effective. The improved extraction technique was firstly coupled with traditional spectrophotometer to improve the analytical performance and expand the application of spectrophotometric determination. The influence factors relevant to SAE-DLLME including extraction parameters and instrumental conditions, were studied in detail. Under the optimal conditions, the limit of detection (LOD) for nickel was 0.24 μg L−1, with sensitivity enhancement factor (EF) of 23.

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► The first report of SAE-DLLME coupled with UV–vis for Ni detection.
► Conventional UV–vis accomplishes ultra trace detection via the coupling.
► More efficient than DLLME for Ni extraction.
► Be useful in less developed area without more advanced analytical instruments.