A new microextraction method for trace nickel determination in green tea samples: Solventless dispersion based dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction combined with slotted quartz tube-flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry

In this study, a simple and novel analytical approach was developed in order to determine nickel at trace levels. For this purpose, a dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) method based on solventless dispersion of extraction solvent was developed to separate/preconcentrate nickel from aqueous solution. Combination of the DLLME method with slotted quartz tube-flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry (SQT-FAAS) lowered the analyte's detection limit. In the DLLME method, the extraction solvent was dispersed into aqueous solution by generating fine droplets through air assisted spraying in order to reduce organic solvent consumption and avoid relative error by reducing multiple operation steps. Complexation of nickel(II) was done by using a Schiff Base synthesized from the reaction between 3,5- dibromosalicylaldehyde and 2-aminophenol. All experimental parameters were optimized comprehensively by the step-by-step approach in order to determine optimum conditions to get maximum absorbance values. Under the optimum conditions, analytical performance values were examined, and limit of detection values were obtained as 286 ng mL-1 for FAAS, 137 ng mL-1 for SQT-FAAS, 7.9 ng mL-1 for DLLME-FAAS and 3.9 ng mL-1 for DLLME-SQT-FAAS. The enhancement in detection power was obtained as 82-folds over the detection limit of the conventional FAAS system. Chinese green tea sample was used in recovery studies to check applicability and accuracy of the developed method. Recovery results were close to 100 % with low standard deviation values (n = 4) and this showed that the method appropriate for the selected matrix