Conventional UV-Vis spectroscopic detection method requires target analytes to be soluble or have enough vapor pressure for analysis in the gas phase. Typically, a Beer Lambert’s law relationship is used where the detection limit is dependent on the pathlength of the beam in the absorbing medium. To circumvent the limit in detection posed by the pathlength of the cell, we have developed a simple, fast and inexpensive method for conversion of target analytes present in solution or the gas phase to a solid for quantification by UV-Vis spectroscopy. The approach involves forming a precipitate with the target compound and then passing a known volume of the suspension through a transparent membrane to capture target analytes from aqueous solutions. We demonstrate this new method with the detection of orthophosphate as this analyte is an essential parameter in determining the quality of water. In this presentation, we will describe how we reached a detection limit of 0.50 µg/L phosphate using a modified approach to molybdenum blue method to form a precipitate combined with the use of an UV-Vis transparent membrane.

Developing methods for detecting target analytes using UV-Vis transparent membranes

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.