Air segmented amplitude modulated multiplexed flow analysis with software-based phase recognition: Determination of phosphate ion

• Flow analysis coupled with fast Fourier transform.
• Simultaneous analysis from amplitude modulated and multiplexed analytical signal.
• Amplitude dumping was suppressed by air segmentation and software-based deaeration.
• The concept was validated by applying to phosphate determination.

Amplitude modulated multiplexed flow analysis (AMMFA) has been improved by introducing air segmentation and software-based phase recognition. Sample solutions, the flow rates of which are respectively varied at different frequencies, are merged. Air is introduced to the merged liquid stream in order to limit the dispersion of analytes within each liquid segment separated by air bubbles. The stream is led to a detector with no physical deaeration. Air signals are distinguished from liquid signals through the analysis of detector output signals, and are suppressed down to the level of liquid signals. Resulting signals are smoothed based on moving average computation. Thus processed signals are analyzed by fast Fourier transform. The analytes in the samples are respectively determined from the amplitudes of the corresponding wave components obtained. The developed system has been applied to the simultaneous determinations of phosphate ions in water samples by a Malachite Green method. The linearity of the analytical curve (0.0–31.0 μmol dm−3) is good (r2>0.999) and the detection limit (3.3σ) at the modulation period of 30 s is 0.52 μmol dm−3. Good recoveries around 100% have been obtained for phosphate ions spiked into real water samples.