Simultaneous determination of inorganic mercury and methylmercury compounds in natural waters

The purpose of the present work was to develop a simple, rapid, sensitive and accurate method for the simultaneous determination of inorganic mercury (Hg(2+)) and monomethylmercury compounds (MeHg) in natural water samples at the pg L(-1) level. The method is based on the simultaneous extraction of MeHg and Hg(2+)dithizonates into an organic solvent (toluene) after acidification of about 300 mL of a water sample, followed by back extraction into an aqueous solution of Na(2)S, removal of H(2)S by purging with N(2), subsequent ethylation with sodium tetraethylborate, room temperature precollection on Tenax, isothermal gas chromatographic separation (GC), pyrolysis and cold vapour atomic fluorescence spectrometric detection (CV AFS) of mercury. The limit of detection calculated on the basis of three times the standard deviation of the blank was about 0.006 ng L(-1) for MeHg and 0.06 ng L(-1) for Hg(2+)when 300 mL of water was analysed. The repeatability of the results was about 5% for MeHg and 10% for Hg(2+). Recoveries were 90-110% for both species.     

The determination of mercury in organic compounds

The micro oxygen-flask combustion technique in combination with the sodium diethyldithiocarbamate titration is a rapid and useful method for determination of mercury in organic compounds. Chlorine and bromine do not interfere; iodine does. When the organic compound contains both mercury and chlorine, the chloride ions can be titrated argentometrically in the same absorption solution after the titration of mercury.     

The determination of oxygen in sulphur-containing organic compounds

Summary The reactions of anhydroiodic acid with CS₂, H₂S, and COS have been quantitatively investigated at 120° C and 170° C. The iodine formed was titrated and the gaseous reaction products determined by gas chromatography. At 170° C, CS₂ and COS are quantitatively oxidized to CO₂ and SO₂, and H₂S is oxidized to water and partially to SO₂ while a stoicheiometric fraction of the sulphur is obtained as elemental S. At 120° C the reactions are the same although in no case is the oxidation completely quantitative at this temperature.

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Zusammenfassung Die Reaktionen der Anhydrojodsäure mit CS₂, H₂S und COS wurden bei 120 und 170° C quantitativ untersucht. Das freigesetzte Jod wurde titriert und die gasförmigen Reaktionsprodukte gaschromatographisch bestimmt. Bei 170° C werden CS₂ und COS quantitativ zu CO₂ und SO₂ oxydiert, H₂S zu Wasser und teilweise zu SO₂, während ein stöhiometrischer Anteil des Schwefels in elementare Form übergeht. Bei 120° C laufen die gleichen Reaktionen ab, aber keinesfalls quantitativ.

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Résumé On a fait l'étude quantitative des réactions de l'acide anhydroiodique avec CS₂, H₃S et COS à 120° C et 170° C. On a titré l'iode formé et réalisé le dosage des produits gazeux de la réaction par Chromatographie en phase gazeuse. A 170° C, CS₂ et COS sont oxydés quantitativement en CO₂ et SO₂; H₂S est oxydé en eau et partiellement en SO₂ et il se forme une fraction stoechiométrique de soufre à l'état élémentaire. A 120° C, les réactions sont les mêmes bien que l'oxydation ne soit jamais quantitative à cette température.

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This work was supported by grants from the Statens Tekniska Forskningsrad (Swedish Technical Research Council).     

Direct micro determination of oxygen in organic compounds

Summary A simple procedure for the determination of oxygen has been tried with compounds containing carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. It has the advantage that a temperature of 700° C is sufficient.

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Zusammenfassung Eine einfache Verbrennungsmethode zur Bestimmung von Sauerstoff, für die eine Temperatur von 700° C ausreicht, wurde an Verbindungen, die nur Kohlenstoff, Wasserstoff und Sauerstoff enthalten, erprobt.

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Résumé On a essayé une méthode simple pour doser l'oxygène dans des composés contenant du carbone, de l'hydrogène et de l'oxygène. Elle a l'avantage de ne pas nécessiter une température supérieure à 700° C.

     

Micro and trace determination of oxygen in organic compounds

Samples are pyrolyzed over carbon in helium doped with chloropentane, which enhances the liberation of the oxygen. The carbon monoxide formed is determined by gas chromatography. A modification of a Carlo Erba CHN+O Elemental Analyzer is described, and results of micro and trace determinations in organic and inorganic compounds are reported. Basic reactions in this method for oxygen determination are discussed.     

Micromethod of direct determination of oxygen in compounds containing mercury

Conclusions A method has been developed for the direct determination of oxygen in mercury-containing compounds.     

Simultaneous determination of twelve inorganic and organic arsenic compounds by liquid chromatography-ultraviolet irradiation-hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry

A coupling between column liquid chromatography (LC) and atomic fluorescence spectrometry was developed for arsenic speciation. After separation, the compounds are oxidised on-line by UV irradiation, volatilised by hydride-generation and carried to the detector by a stream of argon. A combination of anion-exchange and hydrophobic interactions in a single column (Dionex AS7) was found suitable for the simultaneous separation of organic and inorganic species. Twelve compounds (arsenite, arsenate, monomethylarsonic acid, dimethylarsinic acid, arsenobetaine, arsenocholine, trimethylarsine oxide, tetramethylarsonium ion and four arsenosugars) were separated using an acetate buffer and a nitric acid solution as mobile phases. Limits of detection are 4-22 pg. The technique was applied to three marine samples. Arsenobetaine was detected as the main species in all samples, with concentrations varying from 59 to 1947 ng(As) g(-1) of fresh mass.     

Simultaneous determination of organic ionic lead and mercury species using HPLC

A reversed-phase HPLC separation of organic ionic lead and mercury species has been achieved by using pre and on-column derivatisation with methyl thioglycolate. The separation parameters have been optimized and shown to permit a reproducible determination. For the enrichment of the compounds from water samples, the complexed organometallic species are concentrated on a precolumn. A recovery of 70 to 80% is achieved by using this one-line enrichment method.     

Simultaneous determination of oxygen and cadmium in cadmium and cadmium compounds

Cadmium and its compounds were analysed for oxygen and cadmium by a modification of the Schütze-Unterzaucher method. Oxygen in some compounds such as cadmium oxide, nitrate and sulphate could not be determined by the usual method. The method of adding carbon was employed for the determination of total oxygen. Total oxygen could be determined by the addition of 5 mg of carbon to a sample boat and heating at 950 degrees . The determination was also carried out by addition of naphthalene (2 mg). It was found that the cadmium powder and cadmium flake used contained ca. 1 and 0.15% oxygen, respectively. Oxygen and cadmium in cadmium and its compounds were simultaneously determined by the addition of 2 mg of naphthalene. Cadmium was determined colorimetrically by use of glyoxal-bis-(2-hydroxyanil). Oxygen and cadmium in the samples could be determined simultaneously with an average error of -0.02 and -0.22%, respectively.     

Simultaneous determination of inorganic and organic gunshot residues by capillary electrophoresis

A capillary electrophoresis method was developed to analyze simultaneously 11 organic and 10 inorganic components of gunshot residues as a cheaper and possibly more specific method comparing to traditional techniques. Pre-capillary complexation and simultaneously a micellar phase were combined to determine not only the metal but also the organic residues from a firearm. In order to test the possibility to apply the developed method to real cases, residues from shot samples from different firearms were analyzed and their results were compared with those obtained with electrothermal atomic absorption spectroscopy, an established technique for gunshot residue analysis. Good agreement between both techniques for lead was found.     

Catalysts for the determination of oxygen in organic compounds

Summary Thermal decomposition of metal-organic complexes of nickel, cobalt and iron has given catalysts which are very effective at about 900° for the conversion of carbon dioxide, water and other oxygencontaining sample decomposition products to carbon monoxide in the direct determination of oxygen in organic compounds when using a modified Unterzaucher type apparatus. A copper catalyst similarly prepared required a temperature of 1030° whereas a manganese complex decomposition product was ineffective.

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Katalysatoren zur Sauerstoffbestimmung in organischen Substanzen

Zusammenfassung Durch thermische Zersetzung metallorganischer Komplexe von Ni, Co und Fe erhält man Katalysatoren, die die Umwandlung von CO₂, H₂O und anderen sauerstoffhältigen Zerfallsprodukten zu CO bei etwa 900° C bei der direkten Sauerstoffbestimmung in einer modifizierten Unterzaucher-Apparatur sehr wirksam fördern. Ein ähnlich hergestellter Cu-Katalysator erfordert 1030° C und das Zersetzungsprodukt eines Mn-Komplexes ist unwirksam.

     

Critical review of analytical methods for determination of inorganic mercury and methylmercury compounds

This review describes determinations of mercury compounds under three categories: total mercury; separate determinations of inorganic mercury(II) and organomercury compounds by selective reduction; and speciation of inorganic mercury(II), monomethylmercury cation, and dimethylmercury. Topics described for each category include sample treatment, separation, detection, and limit of detection. Finally, we note that most methods would not detect dimethylmercury if it were present.     

Simultaneous determination of inorganic mercury,methylmercury, and total mercury concentrations in cryogenic fresh-frozen and freeze-dried biological reference materials

Two speciated isotope dilution (SID) approaches consisting of a single-spike (SS) method and a double-spike (DS) method including a reaction/transformation model for the correction of inadvertent transformations affecting mercury species were compared in terms of accuracy, method performance, and robustness for the simultaneous determination of methylmercury (MeHg), inorganic mercury (iHg), and total mercury (HgT) concentrations in five biological Standard Reference Materials (SRMs). The SRMs consisted of oyster and mussel tissue materials displaying different mercury species concentration levels and different textural/matrix properties including freeze-dried (FD) materials (SRMs 1566b, 2976, and 2977) and cryogenically prepared and stored fresh-frozen (FF) materials (SRMs 1974a, 1974b). Each sample was spiked with (201)iHg (Oak Ridge National Laboratory, ORNL) and Me(202)Hg (Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements. IRMM-670) solutions and analyzed using alkaline microwave digestion, ethylation, and gas chromatography inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (GC/ICP-MS). The results obtained by the SS-SID method suggested that FF and FD materials are not always commutable for the simultaneous determination of iHg, MeHg, and HgT, due to potential transformation reactions resulting probably from the methodology and/or from the textural/matrix properties of the materials. These transformations can occasionally significantly affect mercury species concentration results obtained by SS-SID, depending on the species investigated and the materials considered. The results obtained by the DS-SID method indicated that the two classes of materials were commutable. The simultaneous and corrected concentrations of iHg, MeHg, and HgT obtained by this technique were not found to be statistically different form the certified and reference concentration together with their expanded uncertainty budgets for the five SRMs investigated, exemplifying the robustness, the accuracy, and the improved commutability of this method compared to SS-SID measurements.     

Kinetic determination of some inorganic and organic compounds by oxidation with iodate

Sulphite (5.0 × 10^?1?5.0 × 10^?3 M), ascorbic acid and other compounds are oxidized by potassium iodate in dilute sulphuric acid; the production of iodide is monitored by an iodide-selective electrode. The time needed for a 40-mV potential change is inversely proportional to concentration. For sulphite (1.0 × 10^?5?1.0 × 10^?4 M), selectivity is improved by sweeping the sulphur dioxide formed in acidic EDTA-containing solution into the iodate solution.     

A new method for the determination of oxygen in organic compounds

Oxygen in compounds of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen can be determined by heating the sample with an excess of strontium oxide and graphite in. a nickel bomb or sealed Vycor glass tube. During the heating period, three hours at 650° C, the oxygen of the sample is converted to carbonate. The carbonate is then determined volumetrically. The accuracy of the method was found to be ± 0.3% (absolute percentage error) for several types of compounds. Most elements other than carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen interfere. Compounds like phenol, that are exceedingly resistant to complete pyrolysis, yield low resuilts. Carbon in organic compounds can be determined by heating the sample with barium nitrate, and subsequently determining carbonate in the mixture.     

A manometric method for the determination of oxygen in organic compounds

Summary A vacuum apparatus is described for the determination of oxygen in 3 to 5 mg of organic substance. The oxygen of the substance is converted to carbon monoxide by ignition in a bomb at 1050 to 1055° C. Corrections are calculated from thermodynamic data for the amounts of water and carbon dioxide not reacting at the ignition temperature.

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Zusammenfassung Eine Vakuumapparatur für die Bestimmung des Sauerstoffes in 3 bis 5 mg organischer Substanz wird beschrieben. Der in der Substanz enthaltene Sauerstoff wird durch Erhitzen auf 1050 bis 1055° C in einem geschlossenem Quarzrohr in Kohlenmonoxid übergeführt, das dann in der Vakuumapparatur zu Kohlendioxid oxydiert und durch Absorption gemessen wird. Korrekturen werden aus thermodynamischen Daten für die bei der Verbrennungstemperatur nicht reagierenden Wasser- und Kohlendioxidmengen berechnet.

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Résumé On décrit un appareil á vide pour le dosage de l'oxygéne sur 3 á 5 mg de substance organique. On convertit l'oxygéne de la substance en oxyde de carbone par combustion dans une bombe, á 1050–1055° C. On calcule les corrections á partir des données thermodynamiques pour l'eau et le gaz carbonique qui ne réagissent pas á cette température.

     

Photoelectrochemical determination of inorganic mercury in aqueous solutions

An analytical method using an optical probe in a photoelectrochemical cell for the sensitive and selective determination of aqueous Hg²⁺ is presented. A previously synthesized Hg²⁺ selective chemosensor, proven to be Hg²⁺ sensitive up to 2 μg L⁻¹, has been immobilized onto indium tin oxide (ITO) electrodes in a composite form with polyaniline. The coated ITO electrode was placed in a photoelectrochemical cell under closed circuit conditions in which the optical recognition of the chemosensor was converted to a measurable signal. A composite of the fluorescent chemosensor, Rhodamine 6G derivative (RS), and polyaniline (PANI) was immobilized on ITO glass plates and subjected to photovoltage measurements in the absence and presence of Hg²⁺. The optical responses of the coated electrode were used to determine the sensitivity and selectivity of the immobilized sensor to Hg²⁺ in the presence of background ions. The optical response of the PANI-dye coated electrode increased linearly with increasing Hg²⁺ concentration in the range 10-150 μg L⁻¹, with a detection limit of 6 μg L⁻¹.