Surfactant Mediated Cadmium Determination with Dithizone in Aqueous Solution

ABSTRACT: Cadmium is a toxic and hazardous trace metal that has become a serious environmental pollutant since industrialization and intensive farming began in late 19th century. Although there are many established wet-chemical and instrumental methods for qualitative and quantitative determination of cadmium, most involve the formation of the Cd-dithizone complex in the presence of the highly toxic potassium cyanide which is then extracted into carcinogenic chlorinated organic solvents such as chloroform or carbon tetrachloride. The main purpose of this study was to see if a sensitive, simple, quick spectro-chemical method that utilizes safer and less toxic chemicals for cadmium analysis using dithizone could be developed. The results found so far are promising and indicate that in the presence of a chelating surfactant such as Deriphat-160C, the cadmium-dithizone complex in alkaline aqueous medium remains soluble and obeys Beers law in the micro molar Cd concentration range studied. The solutions prepared for spectroscopic measurement did not require KCN nor was it necessary to extract the complex in to chlorinated organic solvents. Keywords: Dithizone, Cadmium, surfactant, spectrophotometric, Deriphat 160C. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………