Highly efficient and simultaneous magnetic solid phase extraction of heavy metal ions from water samples with l-Cysteine modified magnetic polyamidoamine dendrimers prior to high performance liquid chromatography.

Due to the strong metal-sulfur interaction between mercapto groups and metal ions, which can be used to functionalize polyamidoamine dendrimer decorated FeO nanoparticles for high enrichment of trace heavy metal ions from waters. Based on this concept, polyamidoamine dendrimer modified FeO nanomaterials were functionalized with l-Cysteine and a new magnetic solid phase extraction for rapid adsorption and separation of Hg, Pb, Co and Cd from waters was established. The factors affecting extraction efficiency have been optimized. Upon the optimal parameters, the established method provided good linear ranges of 0.1-200 μg L for Hg and 0.05-200 μg L for Pb, Co and Cd, and high sensitivity with limits of detection (LOD) of 0.018 μg L, 0.014 μg L, 0.013 μg L and 0.025 μg L for Cd, Pb, Co and Hg, respectively. Real water samples were utilized to validate the proposed method, and achieved results revealed that the proposed method was sensitive, effective, stable and suitable for monitoring Pb, Cd, Coand Hg in environmental waters. This work provided a novel strategy for the simultaneous analysis of target cations in waters, and a new direction for developing decoration method of nanomaterials according to specific purpose.