Capillary zone electrophoresis as a simple approach for the study of p-arsanilic acid transformation in the process of photolytic degradation

Arsenic aromatic compounds including p-arsanylic acid (pASA) are still widely used in a number of countries as the feed additives in animal breeding resulting in its entering the environment. Under the influence of oxidizing agents or UV radiation, pASA undergoes transformations leading to generation of inorganic arsenic species that are more mobile and toxic than organic ones. On the one hand, an approach based on the treatment of contaminated waters by UV irradiation seems perspective for their detoxification, but the feasibility of this approach depends on the composition of the products forming as a result of photodegradation. In the present work, a CZE was applied for the study of the pASA degradation process during stationary (308 nm) photolysis in the presence of Fe(III)-oxalate complex. A developed assay allowed controlling the parent compounds and also As-containing products of pASA degradation, presented mainly by arsenate and arsenite ions. It was found that the main inorganic derivatives of the pASA photolytic conversions are presented by arsenate and arsenite ions whose ratio depends on the initial amount of pASA and reaction conditions.