Displacement cloud point extraction procedure for preconcentration of iron(III) in water and fruit samples prior to spectrophotometric determination

ABSTRACT. For the enrichment of iron(III) prior to spectrophotometric determination, displacement cloud point extraction (D-CPE) technique was applied depending on the difference in stability constant of metal complexes. Zinc(II) as gallic acid complex was first separated into a Triton X-100 surfactant. Then, once the aqueous phase has been removed, the sample containing Fe(III) is added, and another CPE process is performed. Because Fe-GA has a higher stability than Zn-GA, Fe(III) can displace Zn(II) from the pre-extracted Zn-GA, allowing for Fe(III) separation from the complex sample matrix and its spontaneous spectrophotometric determination at 560 nm. The effects of pH, ligand, and surfactant quantities, temperature and heating time, centrifuge processes, and interferences were all studied. At the optimal conditions, the calibration graph was linear from 0.5 to 500 µg L-1 with enrichment factor of 75.0. The LOD was 0.15 µg L-1 and the RSD was 1.3% for 60 µg L-1 of Fe(III), n = 10. Accuracy was also evaluated using the standard reference substance (SRS) and flame atomic absorption spectroscopy (FAAS) approaches. This procedure was used for separation and micro-determination of Fe(III) in water and fruit tests (banana, strawberry, lemon, orange, and peaches) with recoveries ranged from 96.5 to 105%.   KEY WORDS: Displacement cloud point extraction, Iron, Spectrophotometry, Fruit samples   Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2023, 37(1), 1-10.                                                                       DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/bcse.v37i1.1                                                        &nbsp