Toward the Development of Portable Ion Analysis

Indianapolis, IN

This presentation describes work toward the development a thin layer chromatography (TLC) plate capable of separating and detecting multiple cations in an aqueous sample. The TLC plate will be used to separate and detect metal cations in natural water samples or waste streams. In its current form, the thin layer chromatography system is comprised of a C18-silica modified using dodecylbenzenesulfonate as an ion exchange moiety. Plates are poured using a mixture of corn starch and calcium sulfate as a binding agent. Metal ions are detected through the use of colorimetric reagents sprayed onto the plate after elution. Initial results demonstrate that ions can be separated and detected using this system, but further optimization of the chromatography system will be necessary to obtain semi-quantitative results when using this TLC plate.