Development of a thiourea derivative polymer combined to a Direct Mercury Analyser for screening and pre-concentration of mercury species.

A new selective polymer has been developed (Patent: P201500704) with high mercury sorption capacity. The combination of this material with a Direct Mercury Analyser (DMA80) has overcome important limitations of this equipment for mercury determination of complex matrix samples, like high saline content, due to the ability of this material to selective and efficient mercury retention. Furthermore, application for fast screening of mercury species in food samples, like fish, is also presented. The polymer material has been synthesized by the precipitation technique, using Azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as initiator, 2-(Methacryloylamino) ethyl 2-Methyl Acrylate (NOBE) as cross-linker, and 1-phenyl-3-(-3-vinyl phenyl) thiourea as monomer. It has been characterized by SEM, TGA, FTIR, and binding isotherms have been established through Langmuir and Freundlich models. Selectivity has been proven by carrying out cross-reactivity experiments.