MULTIELEMENT SOLID PHASE PRECONCENTRATION USING A CHELATING RESIN OF STYRENE DIVINYLBENZENE COPOLYMER AND APPLICATION TO ANALYSIS OF SEAWATER AND FISH OTOLITHS BY INDUCTIVELY COUPLED PLASMA MASS SPECTROMETRY (ICP�MS).

A new chelating resin has been synthesized by immobilizing 4-(2-thiazolylazo) resorcinol (TAR) onto styrene divinlybenzene copolymer and examined for on-line solid phase extraction/preconcentration of Cd, Co, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn in seawater and fish otoliths for determination by inductively plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). A volume of 5.0 mL sample solution was loaded onto the mini column of TAR immobilized resin at 2.0 mL min-1 via a sequential injection system. The optimum pH for multielement preconcentration was around pH 5.5. Recoveries were better than 96% in artificial seawater. Elution was achieved with 1.0 mL of 0.75 mol L-1 HNO3. The resin possesses large sorption capacity ranging from 82.0 µmol g-1 for Pb to 319 µmol g-1 for Cu. The detection limits (3s) varied between 0.0016 µg L-1 (Cd) and to 0.015 µg L-1 (Zn) for preconcentration of 5.0 mL blank solutions (pH 5.5). Relative standard deviation (RSD)for three replicate runs was between 0.3% (Cd) and 6% (Zn) at 1.0 µg L-1 level. The procedure was validated by analysis of Nearshore Seawater certified reference material (CASS-4), and then successfully applied to the determination of the trace elements in fish otoliths (CRM 22) and in coastal seawater and estuarine water samples.