Selective determination method for vanadium (V) and vanadium (IV) controlling the pH of media for a solid-liquid extraction column.

Solid-liquid extraction separation based on a speciation method was studied for selective determination of vanadium (IV) and vanadium (V). Both V (IV) and V (V) cations transform to oxo-acid anion along with pH changes in the solution. The pH values for the transition points are different from each other and the difference was utilized in the separation. In the first step, particulate samples are dissolved by strong acids such as 1 M H2SO4 or 85% H3PO4. The pH of the strong acidic sample solutions of V (IV) and V (IV) are adjusted to the range between 3 and 4. In this condition, V (IV) is in the form of cation but V (V) is anion. The pH adjusted solution is applied to an anion exchange column. The solution is expected to contain V (IV) only. The trapped V (V) anion is eluted as VO2+ cation by a pH 1 acid. The author and coworker have already developed an HPLC separation method utilizing this separation concept. However, the HPLC method has some limitations, mainly originated in physical and chemical weaknesses of the HPLC column. In the present study, a firm solid-liquid column is adopted to replace the feeble HPLC column as a separation device. And a simple and convenient pH adjustment technique for making the sample solution is investigated at the same time. With these improvements, the speciation method developed with strong acidic solutions could determine the amount of V (IV) and V (V) in various environmental and biological samples.