FLUORESCENCE DETECTION OF METAL-IONS SEPARATED ON A SILICA-BASED HPLC REVERSED-PHASE SUPPORT

An HPLC method is developed for the analysis of the metals Zr(IV), Ga(III), Sc(III), Y(III), IN(III), Al(III), La(III), Zn(II), Cd(II), Ca(II), and Mg(II). An aqueous eluent containing n-octanesulfonate and weak organic acids is used to isocratically separate the mixture of 11 metals on a silica-based C//1//8 column. Selectivity of the method is imparted by monitoring the fluorescence following postcolumn reaction with 8-hydroxyquinoline, a reagent capable of forming fluorescent complexes with diamagnetic metal ions. The detector response is linear for all metals, and detection limits ranged from parts-per-million to sub parts-per-million levels for different metals.