RESUMO
PURPOSE: The authors report on the development of a new, noninvasive method to efficiently remove metal ions in aqueous solution flowing in a tube and to quantify the concentrations of those ions. Such a technique could be used to remove toxic ions in the interiors of arteries and veins in patients intoxicated by the ingestion of metal ions. METHODS: A magnetic field is applied to an aqueous electrolyte flowing in a specially designed rectangular cell in order to deflect the ion trajectories and concentrate them at one side of a cell. Once the ions are concentrated, they can be removed. Raman spectroscopy is used to promptly determine the concentration of the removed lead ions. RESULTS: It is possible to increase, on one side of the cell, the ion concentration by more than 80% with respect to the average concentration; the removed ions were taken from this high concentration region. This approach is a rapid, efficient, and noninvasive method for the removal of ions in aqueous solution. Raman spectroscopy was found to be a suitable technique to determine the amount of removed ions. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that the ion concentration can be increased more than 80% in a region where they can be removed. The increment in the ion concentration produced by the deflection due to the magnetic field, together with the use of Raman spectroscopy, allows for a rapid analysis of the removed ions without any previous preparation. The proposed method is a potentially useful method for metal ion separation of interest in the medical physics field.