Determination of total arsenic by photo-decomposition of organoarsenic compounds and hydride generation electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

A method was developed for the determination of total arsenic concentration in less than ng/ml level by decomposition of organoarsenicals using photo -oxidation combined with in situ trapping of arsenic hydride on a palladium coated graphite tube with subsequent atomization and detection by AAS. The organoarsenicals include monomethylarsenic, dimethylarsenic, arsenobetaine, arsenocholine, o -aminobenzenarsenate and p -aminobenzenarsenate. The method is simple and sensitive. Detection limit was obtained from different arsenic compounds over the range from 0. 058 to 0.063 ng/ml as As (based on three times of the standard deviation of 10 blank measurements) and the relative standard deviations for ten replicate measurements were from 2.0 to 3.8%. The calibration curves of arsenic compounds including inorganic and organic arsenicals were linear over the range from 0.1 to 3.0 ng/ml as As. The recommended method has been applied to the determination of total arsenic in tap and lake water samples at ng/ml levels.

Determination of Mecruy at Trace Level in Natural Water Samples by Hydride Generation Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry after Cloud Point Extraction Preconcentration

A method for the determination of trace mercury in water samples by hydride generation atomic absorption spectrophotometry after cloud point extraction was proposed in the present work. The effects of pH, concentration of surfactant, and equilibration time on cloud point extraction were discussed. The enhancement factor of 20 and the detection limit of 0.039 μg/L were obtained for mercury with relative standard deviation of 4.8% （n = 11）.

Effect of sample treatment on determination of arsenic （Ⅲ） and arsenic （Ⅴ） in aqueous and tissue samples by hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry

The purpose of this procedure was to optimize and improve a method that used for the determination of arsenic （Ⅲ） and arsenic （Ⅴ） in biological and environmental samples. The method is based on hydride generation and atomic absorption spectrometry. For both As （Ⅲ） and As （Ⅴ） the parameters such as NaBH4, HCI concentration, and pH were optimized. Absorption signal of As （Ⅴ） was approximately 17% of As （Ⅲ） signal. Therefore, for estimation of As （Ⅲ） and As （Ⅴ） concentrations in various samples the difference between the absorbance obtained for arsenic, without and with previous treatment of samples with potassium iodide （KI）, can be applied. The calibration graphs were linear （r〉0.99）, and the detection limits of the method based on three times the standard deviation of the blank were 0.14 and 0.64 μL^-1 for As （Ⅲ） and As （Ⅴ）, respectively. The relative standard deviation （R.S.D.） of measurements was less than 10%. As a means of checking performance method, water samples were spiked with known concentrations of both As （Ⅲ） and As （Ⅴ）, and recovery above 94% was obtained. The proposed method was applied successfully to determine inorganic As （Ⅲ） and As （Ⅴ） in various environmental and total As in biological samples.

DETERMINATION OF ANTIMONY IN WATER SAMPLES BY FLOW-INJECTION HYDRIDE GENERATION ATOMIC ABSORPTION SPECTROMETRY WITH ON-LINE ION-EXCHANGE COLUMN PRECONCENTRATION

On-line ion-exchange separation and preconcentration were combined with flow-injection hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry (HGAAS) to determine ultra-trace amounts of antimony in water samples. Antimony(Ⅲ) was preconcentrated on a micro-column packed with CPG-8Q chelating ion-exchanger using time-based sample loading and eluted by 4 mol l^(-1) HCl directly into the hydride generation AAS system. A detection limit (3σ) of 0.0015μg l^(-1) Sb(Ⅲ) was obtained on the basis of a 20 fold enrichment and with a sampling frequency of 60h^(-1). The precision was 1.0% r.s.d.(n=11) at the 0.5μg l^(-1) Sb(Ⅲ) level. Recoveries for the analysis of antimony in tap water, snow water and sea water samples were in the range 97-102%.

Determination of Phosphorus by Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy after Hydride Generation

A continuous phosphine (PH3) generation was developed and applied to the sensitive detection of phosphorus by ICP-AES. Phosphate ion in aqueous solution was converted to phosphine by passing the sample solution through an incandescent copper silica-tube. Detection limit is 2 ng/mL. The relative standard deviation is 4.2% for 20 ng/mL. The method is rapid and simple with low contamination and high sensitivity.

Determination of Hg in soil by ultrasonic slurry sampling hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry

Ultrasonic aided slurry sampling hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry （USS-HG-AFS） was developed for the determination of Hg in soil samples from a sewage-irrigated farm. 500 mg grounded soil was suspended in agar solution by an ultrasound water bath before the HG-AFS determination. The results for the reference material of soil （serial number GBW-07411） agreed satisfactorily with the certified values. Results obtained by the developed procedure compared well with those after traditional acid digestion of samples. The detection limit are 6.7ngL-1 for Hg respectively, with average relative standard deviation values of 6.4% for analysis of a series of soil samples of different origin. The recoveries of the anatytes varied in the range from 95 to 107%. This observation has stimulated interest in fast, accurate and sensitive analytical methods for determination of metals in soil.

Determination of Cadmium in TSP, PM10 in urban areas by hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry

In this paper, two different diameter particles （TSP, PM10） were collected by TH-16A four-channels classification air sampler. The samples were treated by HNO3. Analysis of cadmium was carried out by hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry （HG-AFS） method, and distribution proportions of elements in four phases were calculated. This method was based on the reaction of cadmium with 1.5% （m/v） KBH4 solution and 0.5% KOH（m/v） solution to form the hydride gas in medium of 2% （v/v） HCl. The detection limit for cadmium as low as 0.008μg/L was obtained. The lineally correlation coefficient was 0.99992. The relative standard deviation （n=5, C=1.00μg/L） was 3.26%. The proposed method was applied for the determination of cadmium in atmosphere aerosol samples and the recoveries in the range of 95-102.2% were obtained. This method was simple, rapid, less matrix interference and high sensitivity.

Comparison of masking agents for antimony speciation analysis using hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry

A sensitive atomic spectrometric method for the redox speciation analysis of Sb in water is described. The proposed method is based on the selective generation of stibine from Sb（III） in a continuous flow system using non-dispersive atomic fluorescence spectrometry for detection. The effects of the HCI concentration on the fluorescence intensities of Sb（III） and Sb（V） were investigated. The results indicated that atomic fluorescence emission due to Sb（V） can constructively interfere with the determination of Sb（III）. For the determination of Sb（III）, four compounds were tested as masking agents to inhibit the generation of stibine from Sb（V）. The effects of the concentrations of the masking agents and of HC1 on the fluorescence signals from Sb（III） and Sb（V） were studied. The results indicated that citric acid and NaF can successfully suppress hydride generation from Sb（V）. To evaluate the developed methodology and the influence of the matrix, the recovery of Sb（III） from natural water that was spiked with different Sb（III） and Sb（V） concentrations was tested.

Determination of Inorganic Arsenic Species by Electrochemical Hydride Generation Atomic Absorption Spectrometry with Selective Electrochemical Reduction

A new direct procedure for the determination of inorganic arsenic species was developed by electrochemical hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry （EcHG-AAS） with selective electrochemical reduction. The determination of inorganic arsenic species is based on the fact that As（Ⅲ） shows significantly higher absorbance at low electrolytic currents than As（Ⅴ） in 0.3 mol·L^-1 H2SO4. The electrolytic current used for the determination of As（Ⅲ） without considerable interferences of As（Ⅴ） was 0.4 A, whereas the current for the determination of As（Ⅲ） and As（Ⅴ） was 1.2 A. For equal concentrations of As（Ⅲ） and As（Ⅴ） in a sample, the interferences of As（Ⅴ） during the As（Ⅲ） determination were smaller than 5%. The absorbance for As（Ⅴ） could be calculated by subtracting that for As（Ⅲ） measured at 0.4 A from the total absorbance for As（Ⅲ） and As（Ⅴ） measured at 1.2 A, and then the concentration of As（Ⅴ） can be obtained by its calibration curve at 1.2 A. The methodology developed provided the detection limits of 0.3 and 0.6 ng·mL^-1 for As（Ⅲ） and As（Ⅴ）, respectively. The relative standard deviations were of 3.5% for 20 ng·mL^-1 As（Ⅲ） and 3.2% for 20 ng·mL^-1 As（Ⅴ）. The method was successfully applied to determination of soluble inorganic arsenic species in Chinese medicine.

Ultrasensitive determination of mercury by solution anode glow discharge atomic emission spectrometry coupled with hydride generation

An innovative method for the ultrasensitive detection of mercury by solution anode glow discharge atomic emission spectroscopy(SAGD-AES) coupled with hydride generation(HG) was first investigated.In this method,the mercury vapor generated by the HG was transmitted to the SAGD through the miniature hollow tungsten tube for excitation and detected by a miniaturized spectrograph.A thorough parametric evaluation of the HG and SAGD system was performed,including the type and concentration of ca rrier acid,He flow rate,concentrations of NaBH4,discha rge current and discharge gap.Under optimal operating conditions,the detection limit for Hg^(2+) achieved 0.03 μg/L,with a relative standard deviation of 1.1% at the Hg^(2+) concentration of 5 μg/L.Moreover,the correlation coefficient of the calibration curve was 0.9996 in the range between 0.1 and 10 μg/L.The accuracy and practicability of HG-SAGD-AES were verified by measuring GBW09101 b(human hair),GBW10029(fish),soil and rice samples.The results showed good agreement with the certified values and values from direct mercury analyzer(DMA).

Study on tissue distribution of a novel organoselenium antitumor compound WBSELEN

A novel organoselenium compound,WB（1,2-[bis（1,2-benzisoselenazolone-3（2H）-ketone）]pentane） has indicated anti-tumor activity.Its pharmacokinetic data has never been determined.By using the H22 tumor bearing mouse model,the tissue distribution of WB after single and four consecutive doses（both were 120 mg/kg/d） was explored.The selenium content of the tissues was used as an indicator of WB absorption,distribution and metabolism.The selenium in the heart,liver, spleen,kidneys,lungs,stomach,pancreas,brain,colon,intestine,testes,plasma,and tumor were determined by generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry（AFS）.With single or multiple oral administration of WB,the selenium content significantly increased in the liver,stomach,colon,and intestine.The selenium content in the spleen,lungs,pancreas,testes,plasma and tumor also increased compared with the controls;but no significant changes were found in the brain and kidney.WB and its metabolites distributed predominantly in the colon,liver,stomach and intestine,which resulted in a significant increase in the selenium content in both groups.There was no observed significant accumulation of WB in the vital organs.

Selenium speciation in flue desulfurization residues

Flue gas from coal combustion contains significant amounts of volatile selenium （Se）. The capture of Se in the flue gas desulfurization （FGD） scrubber unit has resulted in a generation of metal-laden residues. It is important to determine Se speciation to understand the environmental impact of its disposal. A simple method has been developed for selective inorganic Se（IV）, Se（VI） and organic Se determination in the liquid-phase FGD residues by hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry （AFS）. It has been determined that Se（IV）, Se（VI） and organic Se can be accurately determined with detection limits （DL） of 0.05, 0.06 and 0.06 μg/L, respectively. The accuracy of the proposed method was evaluated by analyzing the certified reference material, NIST CRM 1632c, and also by analyzing spiked tap-water samples. Analysis indicates that the concentration of Se is high in FGD liquid residues and primarily exists in a reduced state as selenite （Se（IV））. The toxicity of Se（IV） is the strongest of all Se species. Flue gas desulfurization residues pose a serious environmental risk.

Uptake and Speciation of Inorganic Arsenic with Cellulose Fibre Coated with Yttrium Hydroxide Layer as a Novel Green Sorbent

A novel adsorbent was developed by coating yttrium hydroxide precipitate layer on cellulose fibre. This material takes up ca. 98% of 5 μg·L 1 As（Ⅲ） and As（V） at low pH （pH〈7）, while a favorable selectivity for As（V） was achieved within pH 11--12. In practice, a mini-column packed with Y（OH）3 precipitate layer coated cellulose fibre particles was incorporated into a sequential injection system for selective uptake of arsenate at pH 11.5. The retained arsenate was afterwards recovered with 50μL of 0.8 mol.L l NaOH solution as eluent, followed by hydride generation in a reaction medium of 2.0 mol·L-1 HCl and 1.0% NaBH4 solution （W/V, in 0.5% NaOH） after pre-reduction of arsenate to arsenite by KI-ascorbic acid （5%, W/V）, with detection by atomic fluorescence spec- trometry. Total inorganic arsenic was quantitatively taken up at pH 6.0 by following the same procedure and arsenic speciation was performed by difference. With a sample volume of 1.0 mL, an enrichment factor of 16.4 was derived with a detection limit of 17 ng.L-1 within a linear range of 0.05--2.0μg.L ]. A relative standard deviation （RSD） of 2.6% （0.5 μg·L-1, n= 11） was achieved. The procedure was validated by analyzing arsenic in a certified refer- ence material GBW 09101 （human hair）, and speciation process requires no organic solvents, thus Y（OH）3 coated of inorganic arsenic in natural water samples. The entire cellulose fibre provides a green adsorbent.