Synthesis, characterization, and application of novel Zn(II)-ionic imprinted polymer for preconcentration of Zn(II) ions from aqueous solution

Preparation of a new Zn²⁺ ion-imprinted polymer (Zn-IIP) is presented in this report. The Zn-IIP are prepared by precipitation polymerization using 8-hydroxyquinoline (8HQ) as a ligand, methacrylic acid (MAA) as functional monomer, and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as a cross-linker has been prepared. The benzoyl peroxide and ethanol/acetonitrile (2:1) mixture were used as initiator and porogen, respectively. Precipitation polymerization was carried out by heating in a water bath at 60°C for 8 hours. After polymerization, cavities in the polymer particles corresponding to the Zn²⁺ ions were created by leaching the polymer with 2 mol L^-1 HNO₃. The polymer was washed with aquabidest and dried in an oven at the temperature of 60°C for 24 hours. The Zn-IIP was characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrophotometry (FT-IR) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The synthesized Zn-IIP was used as a new adsorbent for solid phase extraction (SPE) of Zn(II) prior to Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (FAAS) determination. The experimental parameters for SPE, such as pH of the sample, loading rate, and elution volume, have been optimized. The effect of pH of the sample on the extraction of analyte was studied in batch mode. The effects of loading rate and elution volume on the extraction of analyte were studied in dynamic mode by loading of the sample through IIP-SPE cartridge containing 100 mg of the synthesized Zn-IIP. The imprinted polymer (Zn-IIP) have bands at 3433.06 cm^-1 (O-H), 1508.23 cm^-1 (C=N aromatics), 1284.5 cm^-1 (C-N aromatics), 1056.9 cm^-1 (C-O phenol), 1724.24 cm^-1 (C=O), and 1639.38 cm^-1 (conjugated C=O with C=C). The Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) images of IIP and IIP show that the IIP is seen to have more cavities than NIP. The optimum pH for quantitative Zn(II) retention was 5.5, and the elution was completed with 2 mL of 1.0 mol L^-1 nitric acid. The optimum loading rate was 0.5 mL min^-1. The recovery of Zn(II) from solution samples after its SPE extraction on IIP with 50-fold theoretical preconcentration was 94.60-104.50%. The LOD and LOQ with 50-fold theoretical preconcentration obtained were 0.0073 mg L^-1 and 0.0244 mg L^-1, respectively.