Simultaneous solvent extraction and high-performance liquid chromatographic determination of uranium, iron, nickel and copper in mineral ore samples and phosphate rock residues using N,N'-ethylenebis(salicylaldimine) as complexing reagent

The reagent N,N-ethylenebis(salicylaldimine) (H(2)SA(2)en) has been examined for precolumn derivatization, followed by solvent extraction in chloroform and HPLC determination of uranium, iron, nickel and copper on a Hypersil ODS 3 mu m column. Complexes were eluted isocratically using a ternary mixture of methanol-acetonitrile-water and UV detection was at 260 nm. The detection limit was 12 ng/injection for each of the elements. The method has been applied for the determination of metals in mineral ore samples and phosphate rock residues. The results obtained are compared using atomic absorption.