A new HG/LT-GC/ICP-MS multi-element speciation technique for real samples in different matrices

An improved speciation technique is presented for metal(loid)organic compounds, enabling identification and quantification of species from twelve elements: germanium, arsenic, selenium, molybdenum, tin, antimony, tellurium, iodine, tungsten, mercury, lead and bismuth. At this time it is possible to identify 29 species with boiling points between –88.5?°C and 250?°C in gaseous, liquid and solid samples in a few minutes. This study shows as an example results from measurements of soil samples from municipal waste deposits. The HG/LT-GC/ICP-MS-(hydride generation/low temperature-gas chromatography/inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry) apparatus contains a home-built gas chromatograph that enables satisfactory separation of various species with a boiling point difference of ≥ 14?°C. The absolute detection limits for the elements mentioned above were below 0.7 pg.     

A new HG/LT-GC/ICP-MS multi-element speciation technique for real samples in different matrices

An improved speciation technique is presented for metal(loid)organic compounds, enabling identification and quantification of species from twelve elements: germanium, arsenic, selenium, molybdenum, tin, antimony, tellurium, iodine, tungsten, mercury, lead and bismuth. At this time it is possible to identify 29 species with boiling points between -88.5 degrees C and 250 C in gaseous, liquid and solid samples in a few minutes. This study shows as an example results from measurements of soil samples from municipal waste deposits. The HG/LT-GC/ICP-MS-(hydride generation/low temperature-gas chromatography/inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry) apparatus contains a home-built gas chromatograph that enables satisfactory separation of various species with a boiling point difference of > or = 14 degrees C. The absolute detection limits for the elements mentioned above were below 0.7 pg.     

Position-specific isotope analysis of the methyl group carbon in methylcobalamin for the investigation of biomethylation processes

In the environment, the methylation of metal(loid)s is a widespread phenomenon, which enhances both biomobility as well as mostly the toxicity of the precursory metal(loid)s. Different reaction mechanisms have been proposed for arsenic, but not really proven yet. Here, carbon isotope analysis can foster our understanding of these processes, as the extent of the isotopic fractionation allows to differentiate between different types of reaction, such as concerted (S_N2) or stepwise nucleophilic substitution (S_N1) as well as to determine the origin of the methyl group. However, for the determination of the kinetic isotope effect the initial isotopic value of the transferred methyl group has to be determined. To that end, we used hydroiodic acid for abstraction of the methyl group from methylcobalamin (CH₃Cob) or S-adenosyl methionine (SAM) and subsequent analysis of the formed methyl iodide by gas chromatography (GC) isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS). In addition, three further independent methods have been investigated to determine the position-specific δ ¹³C value of CH₃Cob involving photolytic cleavage with different additives or thermolytic cleavage of the methyl-cobalt bonding and subsequent measurement of the formed methane by GC-IRMS. The thermolytic cleavage gave comparable results as the abstraction using HI. In contrast, photolysis led to an isotopic fractionation of about 7 to 9 ‰. Furthermore, we extended a recently developed method for the determination of carbon isotope ratios of organometal(loid)s in complex matrices using hydride generation for volatilization and matrix separation before heart-cut GC and IRMS to the analysis of the low boiling partly methylated arsenicals, which are formed in the course of arsenic methylation. Finally, we demonstrated the applicability of this methodology by investigation of carbon fractionation due to the methyl transfer from CH₃Cob to arsenic induced by glutathione.

HG/LT-GC/ICP-MS coupling for identification of metal(loid) species in human urine after fish consumption

Human urine samples after fish consumption have been investigated by low-temperature gas chromatography with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometric detection after sample derivatization by hydride generation (HG/LT-GC/ICP-MS). This analytical technique enabled the identification of organometal(loid) compounds in human urine; species of the six elements germanium, arsenic, selenium, tin, antimony, and mercury were determined. Three different organic selenium species, two germanium species, seven arsenic species, four tin species, five antimony species, and one species of mercury were found; 18 of the 22 species detected could be identified. The relative detection limits ranged between 2 and 12 pg x L(-1) (x=element). These organometal(loid) compounds probably build up in the human body under the influence of micro-organisms, in the presence of hydrogen sulfide and methane, in the human intestine.     

Determination of trace arsenic, antimony, selenium and tellurium in various oxidation states in water by hydride generation and atomic-absorption spectrophotometry after enrichment and separation with thiol cotton

A novel procedure for determination of trace As(III) and As(V), Sb(III) and Sb(V), Se(IV) and Se(VI), Te(IV) and Te(VI) in water by atomic-absorption spectrophotometry after separation and enrichment with "thiol cotton" and hydride generation has been established. The sorption behaviour of various oxidation states of arsenic, antimony, selenium and tellurium, and the conditions of quantitative sorption and desorption of these species were studied. The procedures for reducing species from higher oxidation states were optimized. Interferences from other species and their elimination were investigated. The selectivity of the procedure for the determination of species in higher and lower oxidation states was examined. The procedure has been successfully used to determine arsenic, antimony, selenium and tellurium in water, in the range from pg ml to ng ml . The recoveries for added spikes were in the range 90-110%, with coefficients of variation in the range 3-8%     

Separations involving sulphides : Separation of bismuth,cadmium and indium from various other elements that form thiosalts

It has been shown that 2N sodium sulphide reagent can be successfully used in separating tellurium, molybdenum, antimony or rhenium from bismuth., platinum, gold, selenium, rhenium, arsenic, molybdenum or tellurium from cadmium; platinum, gold, selenium, rhenium, arsenic, molybdenum, tellurium or antimony from indium.It is not possible to separate quantitatively arsenic, platinum, gold or selenium from bismuth; antimony from cadmium; and tin from bismuth, cadmium or indium.     

Simultaneous determination of arsenic, antimony, selenium and tin by gas phase molecular absorption spectrometry after two step hydride generation and preconcentration in a cold trap system

A cold trap system for the simultaneous determination of arsenic, antimony, selenium and tin by continuous hydride generation and gas phase molecular absorption spectrometry is described. The hydride generation is carried out in two steps; first, tin hydride is generated at low acidity and second, arsenic, antimony and selenium hydrides are formed at higher acidity. All the hydrides are collected in a liquid nitrogen cryogenic trap and transported to the flow cell of a diode array spectrophotometer, where molecular absorption spectra are obtained in the 190-250 nm range. Five calibration solutions containing arsenic, antimony, selenium and tin are solved using multiple linear regression analysis. Tests are performed in order to extend the same manifold to other hydrides but no signals are obtained for bismuth, cadmium, lead, tellurium and germanium. Under the optimum conditions found and using the wavelengths of maximum sensitivity (190, 198, 220 and 194 nm), the analytical characteristics of each element are calculated. The detection limits are 0.050, 0.020, 0.12 and 1.1 mug ml(-1) and the RSD values are 3.7, 3.1, 3.5 and 3.0% for As, Sb, Se and Sn, respectively. The method is applied to As, Sb, Se and Sn determination in natural spiked water samples.     

电感耦合等离子体发射光谱法测定粗二氧化碲中 铜、铅、锑、铋、砷和硒

粗二氧化碲作为碲精炼或碲化工产品生产的重要原料,其中共存元素铜、铅、砷、锑、铋、硒含量的准确测定对于生产过程质量控制和贸易结算具有重要意义,但目前没有粗二氧化碲中铜、铅、砷、锑、铋、硒含量检测的标准分析方法。采用王水和饱和氟化氢铵分解试样,在王水和酒石酸介质中,选用Cu 327.393 nm、Pb 220.353 nm、Sb 217.582 nm、Bi 223.061 nm、As 193.696 nm、Se 196.026 nm为分析谱线,采用电感耦合等离子体发射光谱(ICP-AES)法测定粗二氧化碲中铜、铅、锑、铋、砷和硒含量。各元素校准曲线的相关系数均大于0.999;铜、铅、锑、铋、砷和硒的检出限分别为0.0004%、0.0005%、0.0006%、0.0007%、0.0004%和0.0007%,定量检出限分别为0.0012%、0.0016%、0.0020%、0.0025%、0.0013%和0.0025%。按照实验方法测定5个粗二氧化碲样品中铜、铅、锑、铋、砷和硒,测定结果的相对标准偏差(RSD,n=7)为0.79%~4.8%,加标回收率为96.0%~103%。方法简单,精密度和准确度较高,可用于测定粗二氧化碲中铜、铅、砷、锑、铋、硒含量。     

Determination of antimony, arsenic, bismuth, selenium, tellurium and tin by low pressure atomic absorption spectrometry with a quartz tube furnace atomizer and hydride generation with air addition

A new method has been developed for the determination of antimony, arsenic, bismuth, selenium, tellurium and tin by hydride generation-atomic absorption spectrometry in an electrically heated quartz tube furnace under sub-atmospheric pressure. The hydride generator, operating at a pressure lower than atmospheric, is used to generate and collect the hydrides of these elements. A certain volume (at atmospheric pressure) of air is then added to the generator after the formation of the volatile hydride. The gaseous mixture of the hydride and air is drawn into an evacuated, heated quartz tube by a vacuum pump. The proposed method gives improved sensitivities and detection limits.     

Derivatization of organometal(loid) species by sodium borohydride problems and solutions.

Like other derivatization techniques, hydride generation is a chemical reaction that produces side-reactions leading to analytical problems. Demethylation of dimethylarsinic acid was observed to be dependent upon the pH level of the hydride generation reaction mixture. If the reaction mixture was acidic, then in addition to (CH3)2AsH, the monomethyl arsenic hydride [(CH3)AsH2] could be detected. Demethylation and also the formation of an unidentified arsenic species were noted when trimethyl arsonic oxide was used as derivatization educt. All of these effects depend on the pH level of the hydride generation mixture. We observed significant levels of organometal(loid) species of elements such as Ge, As, Sn, Sb, Hg and Bi in blank hydride generation mixtures. The organometal(loid) contamination was irreproducible even during I day using a single solution of sodium borohydride in deionized water. We concluded that the organometal(loid) contamination arises directly from the derivatization agent, sodium borohydride, itself. Use of helium purging and various adsorptive materials to decontaminate the sodium borohydride solution prior to analysis did not result in a significant decrease in organometal(loid) contamination levels. Use of a palladium-cluster stabilised with 1,10-phenanthrolin as alternative hydride generation derivatization agent was not found to be suitable, since reaction yields were poor and transmethylation reactions were noted.     

Atomic absorption spectrometric determination of some elements forming volatile hydrides with a heated cell atomizer and gas handling system

A system is described which permits the atomic absorption spectrometric determination of antimony, arsenic, bismuth, lead, selenium, tellurium and tin after formation of their volatile hydrides. The apparatus consists of an electrically heated cell atomizer and a gas handling system which enables the gaseous hydrides either to be introduced directly into the cell (Sb, Pb, Te, Sn) or to be collected in a gasometer and subsequently transferred to the cell (As, Bi, Se). The latter elements are evolved more slowly, so that collection is necessary to achieve maximum sensitivity. The differences in the rates of hydride production are discussed.     

Determination of volatile hydride-forming metals in steel by atomic absorption spectrometry

A scheme of analysis is presented for the determination of arsenic, antimony, bismuth, lead, selenium, tellurium and tin in steel by evolution of their volatile hydrides and subsequent atomic absorption spectrometry in an argon—hydrogen-entrained air flame. The method is rapid and applicable to a wide range of steels. Detection limits in steel of 1 p.p.m. for arsenic, antimony, bismuth, selenium and tellurium, 2 p.p.m. for tin and 7 p.p.m. for lead are reported. There is some interference in the determination of lead from copper and nickel, but the method could become a viable alternative to existing procedures in the determination of lead in steels of low alloy content, and in irons. Accuracy and precision data are presented.     

Simultaneous determination of bismuth and tellurium in steels by high power nitrogen microwave induced plasma atomic emission spectrometry coupled with the hydride generation technique

An annular-shaped, high power nitrogen microwave induced plasma (N₂-MIP) produced at atmospheric pressure by an Okamoto cavity, as a new excitation source for atomic emission spectrometry (AES), has been used for the simultaneous determination of bismuth and tellurium in steels with the hydride generation method. Under the optimized experimental conditions, the best attainable detection limits at the Bi I 195.389 nm and Te I 200.200 nm lines were 110 and 86 ng/ml for bismuth and tellurium, respectively. The linear dynamic ranges for bismuth and tellurium were 300 to 30,000 ng/ml. The presence of several diverse elements was found to cause a more or less depressing interference with the proposed technique. When bismuth and tellurium in steels were determined, a large amount of Fe(III) in the solution caused a severe depressing interference, while the presence of Fe(II) showed little or no significant interference. Of the several interference-releasing agents examined, l-ascorbic acid was found to be the most preferable to reduce Fe(III) to Fe(II) prior to hydride generation. The concentrations of bismuth and tellurium in steels were determined by the proposed technique. The results obtained by this method were in good agreement with their certified values.     

Sequential determination of tin, arsenic, bismuth and antimony in marine sediment material by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry using a small concentric hydride generator and L-cysteine as prereductant

A hydride generation system using a small concentric hydride generator combined with inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) was established to determine tin, arsenic, bismuth and antimony in a marine sediment material with L-cysteine as a pre-reductant. Influences of concentrations of three kinds of acids (HCl, HNO₃ and HClO₄), L-cysteine, and sodium tetrahydroborate(III) as well as sodium hydroxide were investigated. The interferences from transition ions were found to be insignificant for determination of the four elements in presence of L-cysteine. Under optimized conditions the detection limits were 0.6 ng/mL for arsenic(III), 0.8 ng/mL for antimony(III), 1.7 ng/mL for tin(IV), and 1.2 ng/mL for bismuth(III). The method was applied to determine the four elements in standard marine sediment materials and the results were in agreement with certified values.     

氢化物原子光谱法的新增效试剂L-半胱氨酸

介绍L-半胱氨酸在氢化物原子光谱法中的预还原、增敏和去干扰等作用。综述了L-半胱氨酸作为氢化物原子光谱法的新增效试剂在测定砷、锑、铋、锡、锗等元素及砷各种形态时的应用。引用文献38篇。     

Effect of temperature on generation and decomposition of the group Vb element hydrides and estimation of the kinetic stability of gaseous bismuth hydride by atomic-absorption spectrometry

During work on atomic-absorption determination of arsenic, antimony and bismuth by the hydride-generation method with sodium tetrahydroborate, the thermal and kinetic stabilities of the hydrides at various generation temperatures were studied. The arsenic and antimony hydrides are very stable even at 40 degrees but bismuth hydride is very unstable both thermally and kinetically, even at 25 degrees . The approximate rate constants for the decomposition of gaseous bismuth hydride at 0, 10, 25 and 40 degrees were found to be 0.05, 0.10, 0.24 and 0.29min(-1) respectively.     

化学蒸气发生-四通道原子荧光光谱法同时测定高纯金中的痕量As,Sb,Bi,Te

采用化学蒸气发生-四通道原子荧光光谱法测定了高纯金中的痕量砷、锑、铋和碲。用乙酸乙脂萃取分离金,水相还原后采用化学蒸气发生-四通道原子荧光光谱法测定高纯金中的痕量砷、锑、铋和碲。在最佳条件下,方法对As,Sb,Bi,Te的检出限分别为0.04,0.05,0.04,0.03 ng/mL(3σ);测定精密度分别为0.98,0.89,0.94,0.99%(对10 ng/mL As,Sb,Bi和Te混合标准,n=7)。方法对实际样品中的As,Sb,Bi,Te进行了同时测定,测定结果与标准方法无明显差异,各元素的加标回收率为95%～105%。     

Sequential determination of tin, arsenic, bismuth and antimony in marine sediment material by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry using a small concentric hydride generator and L-cysteine as prereductant

A hydride generation system using a small concentric hydride generator combined with inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) was established to determine tin, arsenic, bismuth and antimony in a marine sediment material with L-cysteine as a pre-reductant. Influences of concentrations of three kinds of acids (HCl, HNO₃ and HClO₄), L-cysteine, and sodium tetrahydroborate(III) as well as sodium hydroxide were investigated. The interferences from transition ions were found to be insignificant for determination of the four elements in presence of L-cysteine. Under optimized conditions the detection limits were 0.6 ng/mL for arsenic(III), 0.8 ng/mL for antimony(III), 1.7 ng/mL for tin(IV), and 1.2 ng/mL for bismuth(III). The method was applied to determine the four elements in standard marine sediment materials and the results were in agreement with certified values. Received: 4 September 1997 / Revised: 14 October 1997 / Accepted: 7 November 1997     

Influence of volatile hydride-forming elements on antimony determination by atomic-absorption spectrometry with hydride-generation

A study was undertaken to determine the interfering effects of arsenic, bismuth, germanium, lead, selenium, tin and tellurium on trace determination of antimony by atomic-absorption spectrometry with hydride-generation. A 1% NaBH(4) solution was used as reductant and a small amount of oxygen was added to the hydrogen produced, to support the combustion and atomization of SbH(3). The interference from selenium in the determination of antimony is removed if potassium iodide-ascorbic acid solution or copper sulphate is added to the sample solution. The interference of tin and tellurium can also be avoided by adding potassium iodide-ascorbic acid solution. A possible interference mechanism is discussed.     

氢化物发生-原子荧光光谱法(HG-AFS)测定特硬铅合金中硒和碲

建立了氢化物发生-原子荧光光谱法(HG-AFS)测定特硬铅合金中硒和碲的分析方法。试样经硝酸和酒石酸溶解,硫酸沉淀分离基体铅元素。移取部分试液,在40%盐酸介质中直接用氢化物发生-原子荧光光谱法(HG-AFS)测定样品中的硒;另移取部分试液,加入氢溴酸挥发除去砷、锑、锡、硒等元素,在40%盐酸介质中用氢化物发生-原子荧光光谱法(HG-AFS)测定样品中的碲。考察了测定的最佳条件、铅及共存元素对测定的影响。测定硒和碲的相对标准偏差分别为7.5%～9.3%和3.6%～13.0%,加标回收率分别为88%～92%和98%～102%。准确度和精密度均能满足分析需要,具有较强的实用性。