Imprinted polymer grafted from silica particles for on-line trace enrichment and ICP OES determination of uranyl ion

Analytical performance of an ion imprinted polymer (IIP)-coated silica packed micro-column in combination with inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES) has been evaluated for on-line trace enrichment and determination of uranyl ion. The influences of the column and radial viewing ICP OES parameters such as flow rate of eluent, RF power, nebulizer gas pressure, and viewing zone of plasma on the transient signal-to-noise ratio were investigated at wavelength of 385.958 nm. The breakthrough capacity of the column and signal enhancement factor of the method were evaluated as 1.7 × 10− 3 mmol g− 1 and 230, respectively. The limit of detection (LOD) for the proposed method was obtained as 0.09 μg L− 1. A dynamic linear range was observed in the concentration window from 0.3 to 250 μg L− 1 (r2 = 0.996). Robustness of the method was evaluated by Dong's criterion. The accuracy of the method was investigated by determining uranyl ion in spiked samples of spring, well, and tap water and also by comparing the results with those obtained using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP MS).