Abstract
Supramolecular solvent based liquid-liquid microextraction is reported as a green preconcentration technique for the determination of cadmium using 1-decanol dispersed in tetrahydrofuran (the supramolecular solvent). Cadmium was complexed with ammonium-pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate and the supramolecular solvent was added to produce nanosized micelles. The metal complex was extracted into the supramolecular solvent. The factors influencing the extraction efficiency of cadmium and its subsequent determination were optimized, including the pH, the volume of sample, the mass of ligand, and the type and volume of supramolecular solvent. Using the optimum conditions, the limit of detection for cadmium was 0.23 µg/L. Preconcentration factors of 25 and 100 were obtained for biological materials and water, respectively. The methodology was validated using a certified reference material. The results show that the method is rapid, simple, sensitive, and efficient for the determination of cadmium in water and hair.