CONTINUOUS MONITORING OF PPB LEVEL CATIONS AND ANIONS WITH SELECTIVE LIGAND-BONDED CONCENTRATOR COLUMNS

THERE IS A NEED FOR A DEVICE TO CONTINUOUSLY MONITOR CATIONSAND ANIONS IN THE PPB RANGE IN THE PRESENCE OF OTHER MORE CONCENTRATED MATRIX SPECIES. THIS NEED EXISTS IN RELATION TO SPECIES THAT ARE TOXIC, VALUABLE, OR OTHERWISE OF INTEREST. SUCH A DEVICE IS NEEDED IN MUNICIPAL WATER TREATMENT PLANTS, INDUSTRIAL PLANTS, AND OTHER PLACES WHERE THESE SPECIES SHOULD BE MONITORED WITH GREATER ACCURACY AND IN REAL TIME. MACROCYCLES INTERACT STRONGLY AND HIGHLY SELECTIVELY WITH MANY SPECIES OR GROUPS OF SPECIES OF SUCH INTEREST. HIGH SELECTIVITY FOR CERTAIN SPECIES HAS ALSO BEEN SHOWN FOR SOME NON-MACROCYCLIC COORDINATING LIGANDS. THE INNOVATION OF THE PROPOSED RESEARCH LIES IN THE ABILITY TO ATTACH THESE MACROCYCLES AND OTHER LIGANDS IN A PERMANENTBOND TO SILICA GEL WHILE MAINTAINING THEIR SOLUTION COMPLEXING ABILITIES. SUCH MATERIALS CAN THEN BE INCORPORATED IN A CONCENTRATOR COLUMN FOR USE IN A CONTINUOUS ANALYTICAL PROCEDURE. THE FEASIBILITY OF THE MATERIAL SYNTHESIS AND CONCENTRATION PROCEDURE WILL BE SHOWN IN PHASE I.