Abstract
•FMBM was used for SPE of Pb(II) and Cd(II).•Binding mechanisms of Cd(II) and Pb(II) on to FMBM was based on the Hard-Soft Acid-Base theory.•Adsorbed metal ions were eluted with the help of 3.0molL−1 HNO3 solution.•The limit of detections (LOD) for Cd(II) was found to be 0.21μgL−1.•The limit of detections (LOD) for Pb(II) was found to be 0.15μgL−1.
The extraction of trace amounts of Pb(II) and Cd(II) using dispersed ZnO nanopowders functionalized by chelating reagent 4,4′-[(4-Fluorophenyl)methylene]bis(3-methyl-1-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-5-ol) (FMBM) as a novel sorbent has been reported. The impact of pH, adsorbent concentration, non-ionic surfactant, eluting solution, incubation time, equilibration temperature, sample volume and interfering ions on analytical performances was elucidated and investigated. Under optimal experimental conditions, the limit of detections (LOD) were found to be 0.15 and 0.21μgL−1 for Pb(II) and Cd(II), respectively. The developed method, validated with certified reference materials (CRM), was successfully used in determining the concentrations of the two metal ions in various water samples.