Synthesis of 1-(Pyrrol-2-yl)imine modified silica as a new sorbent for the removal of toxic metals from aqueous solutions

A new chelating matrix has been prepared by immobilizing 1h-pyrrole-2-carbaldhyde on silica gel previously doped with 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane. the new chelating material was well characterized by elemental analysis,ft-ir spectroscopy,cross polarization magic angle spinning 13c nmr of the solid state,nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherm,bet surface area,bjh pore sizes and scanning electron microscopy (sem). the new surface exhibits good chemical and thermal stability determined by thermogravimetry curves (tga). the synthesized sinpr was investigated as an adsorbent for removal of cd(ii),cu(ii) and zn(ii) from aqueous solution. the effect of ph and kinetic adsorption of toxic metals were studied. the process of metal retention was followed by batch method and the optimum ph value for the efficient adsorption of these toxic metals was 8. the adsorption capacity of the matrix has been found to be 27.85,24.16 and 20.25 mg/g for cu(ii),zn(ii) and cd(ii) respectively. the extracted amounts were determined by atomic absorption measurements. the adsorbent can be reused several times without loss of its adsorption activity.