Determination of Anionic Surfactants Using Atomic Absorption Spectrometry and Anodic Stripping Voltammetry

An experiment has been developed for our undergraduate analytical chemistry course that demonstrates the indirect analysis of anionic surfactants by techniques normally associated with metal ion determination; that is, atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) and anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV). The method involves the formation of an extractable complex between the synthetic surfactant anion and the bis(ethylenediamine)diaqua copper(II) cation. This complex is extracted into chloroform and then back-extracted into dilute acid. The resulting Cu(II) ions are determined by AAS and ASV. Students are required to determine the concentration of a pre-prepared "unknown" anionic surfactant solution and to collect and analyze a real sample of their choice. After the two extraction processes, students typically obtain close to 100% analytical recovery. Correlation between student AAS and ASV results is very good, indicating that any errors that occur probably result from their technique (dilutions, extractions, preparation of standards, etc.) rather than from the end analyses.

The experiment is a valuable demonstration of the following analytical principles: indirect analysis; compleximetric analysis; liquid-liquid (solvent) extraction; back-extraction (into dilute acid); analytical recovery; and metal ion analysis using flame-AAS and ASV.