The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 04, 1990
Filed:
Apr. 10, 1989
Jerald S Bradshaw, Provo, UT (US);
Reed M Izatt, Provo, UT (US);
Ronald L Bruening, Provo, UT (US);
Virginia B Christensen, Provo, UT (US);
Robert Alldredge, Westminster, CO (US);
Brigham Young University, Provo, UT (US);
Abstract
The invention is a process of selectively and quantitatively removing and concentrating at least one selected ion prosent in low concentration with other ions in higher concentration in a multiple ion solution. The method comprises bringing a complexing agent for the selected ion(s) into contact with a different determined quantity of said multiple ion solution to remove and concentrate the selected ion(s) from the multiple ion solution; removing the multiple ion solution, from which the complexing agent has been removed, the selected ions from the complexing agent having the selected ion(s) complexed therewith, bringing the complexing agent complexed with selected ion(s) into contact with a determined quantity of receiving liquid to break the complex and remove the selected and concentrated ion(s) from the complexing agent therein, and determining the concentration of selected ion(s) in said receiving liquid from which the concentration of selected ion(s) in the multiple ion solution can be calculated. The metal ions in low concentration are often heavy metal ions, such as lead ions, and the process finds particularly advantageous utility in the determination of lead content in ppb in drinking water. The preferred apparatus for carrying out the process is a column packed with silica gel or silica-bonded macrocycle as the complexing agent which is preferably carried out using as the complexing agent a macrocyclic compound having at least four --A--CH.sub.2 --CH.sub.2 --groups in which A is selected from --O--, --O--CH.sub.2 --, --S--, --S--CH.sub.2 --, --N--R--, and --N--((R)--CH.sub.2 in which R is selected from H, lower alkyl and benzyl and which has a hydrocarbon side chain having an end group. ##STR1## covalently bonded to silica in which X is selected from lower alkly, benzyl, phenyl, halogen, --O--CH.sub.2, --O--C.sub.2 H.sub.5 and Si.sub..dbd..sup.-. Typical compounds within this generic definition consist of the following groups of compounds wherein the macrocycle is bonded to the silica through a hydrocarbon side chain with or without an ether oxygen: ##STR2## in which Silica is sand or silica gel.