A separation scheme for the analysis of multicomponent samples.

A sequential separation scheme has been devised for the quantitative analytical separation of 27 different metal ions. Five different Chromatographic and ion-exchange columns are used to separate the metal ions into groups. The metal ions of each group are eluted separately from each column by means of selective eluents. Following separation, the metal ions are determined by titrimetry, flame spectrometry or other appropriate analytical methods. The reliability of the proposed scheme has been demonstrated by extensive testing, including the analysis of U.S. National Bureau of Standards samples. The scheme can be used for macro or micro quantities.