ABSTRACT: ANALYSIS OF ANIONS AND CATIONS IN DRINKING WATER SAMPLES BY CAPILLARY ION ANAYSIS

Food Chemistry, Volume 61, Issues 1-2, January 1998, Pages 249 – 254. by Bahruddin Saad, Fen Wei Pok, Amat Ngilmi Admad Sujari and Muhammad Idiris Saleh, Analytical Division, School of Chemical Sciences, 11800 Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia. Last revised on 21 January 1997

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Abstract

The use of capillary ion electrophoresis (CIE, Waters’ tradename: Capillary Ion Analysis, CIA) for the analysis of four anions and four cations in drinkng water samples available on the Malaysian market, such as natural mineral watrer, bottled drinking water and tap water, was investigated. In addition, Zam Zam water (an underground water, much sought-after by Muslims and only available in Mekah, Saudi Arabia) was also analyzed. The anions analyzed were chloride, sulphate, nitrate and flouride while the cations analyzed were potassium, calcium, sodium and magnesium. Results of this determination generally show a low content of anions and high content of calcium and magnesium in natural mineral water and non-detectable amounts of anions and cations in bottled drinking water. Out of 15 mineral waters of different brands that were analyzed, four brands show anionic and cationic levels almost similar to that of tap water.

With the exception of flouride, an abnormally high level of both anions and cations were detected in all the Zam Zam water samples analyzed, as compared to the other drinking waters.