流动注射在线吸附预富集-冷蒸气原子荧光法测定矿泉水中的痕量无机汞

研究了聚四氟乙烯管编结反应器(KR)在线吸附预富集技术与冷蒸气原子荧光联用测定矿泉水中痕量无机汞的方法.Hg2+与DDTC在线形成Hg2+-DDTC络合物并吸附在KR内壁上,采用电磁感应加热技术,用20% (V/V) HNO3在线加热洗脱并氧化预富集于KR内壁上的Hg2+-DDTC.洗脱液与KBH4溶液反应生成蒸气态汞,直接用冷蒸气原子荧光联用技术检测.20%(V/V)HNO3作为洗脱液的同时也为氢化发生提供了酸性介质.本方法未使用常用的有机洗脱液,具有操作简单和环保等优点.每小时可分析30个样品,最大吸附倍数为35倍,样品分析精密度RSD为2.2%(n=11),检出限(3σ)为2.0 ng/L.     

Flow Injection Analysis of Mercury/Cold Vapor Atomic Fluorescence Spectrophotometry

Abstract

A new flow injection system for the determination of mercury by the cold vapor atomic fluorescence method is described. A sample solution (64 μ1) is injected into a stream of 0.1 M hydrochloric acid, which is mixed with a stream of 3% tin (II) chloride solution in a mixing joint. The combined stream is carried through a reaction coil for reduction of Hg (II) to Hg (0) and subsequently introduced into a specially designed gas-liquid separation vessel. Then the vaporized mercury is swept into a flow type fluorescence cell with a continuous flow of argon after removal of water in the gas phase through a condenser. Mercury is excited with an electrodeless discharge lamp as a source and the mercury fluorescence at both 184.9 and 253.7 nm is measured with a solar-blind photomultiplier. This method allows about 35 determinations of mercury in aqueous samples per hour. The calibration curve is linear over the 0–20 ppb range of mercury. The limit of detection (S/N = 3) is 0.008 ng (0.12 ppb × 64 μ1) and the coefficient of variation is below 1% for the 1–20 ppb solutions (n=10).     

Indirect Mercury Speciation in Biological Tissues by Closed‐Vessel Microwave‐Assisted Digestion and Flow‐Injection Cold‐Vapor Atomic Fluorescence Detection

Abstract

A simple and rapid method based on closed vessel microwave‐assisted extraction was developed to determine total, inorganic mercury and organomercury in biological tissues. Total mercury was extracted using HNO₃:H₂O₂ (4:1) mixture. In a separate subsample, extraction of mercury species was carried out with tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH). The total and inorganic mercury analyses were carried out by flow‐injection cold‐vapor atomic fluorescence spectrometry (FI‐CV‐AFS). The organomercury concentration was calculated by difference. Considering a sample amount of 0.2 g, the detection limits were 4 and 26 ng/g for total and inorganic mercury, respectively. The accuracy of the procedures was checked by analyzing certified reference materials and recovery studies of spiked fish tissues.     

Behavior of Mercury Vapor Upon Irradiation by a Mercury Lamp in an Inert Gas

Abstract

The behavior of mercury vapor during irradiation by a mercury lamp is investigated. Using the flameless atomic absorption technique for mercury determination, it was found that when mercury vapor in an inert gas is irradiated by a mercury lamp, the atomic absorption signal of mercury is decreased rapidly and the signal may be restored by heating to 70°C. These phenomena indicate that the irradiation products of mercury vapor in the quartz tube are deposited on the tube, and are dissociated into the mono-atomic state of mercury upon heating.     

Ultrasensitive determination of mercury in human saliva by atomic fluorescence spectrometry based on solidified floating organic drop microextraction

We report on a new, rapid and simple method for the determination of ultra-trace quantities of mercury ion in human saliva. It is based on solidified floating organic drop microextraction and detection by cold vapor atomic fluorescence spectrometry (CV-AFS). Mercury ion was complexed with diethyldithiocarbamate, and the hydrophobic complex was then extracted into fine droplets of 1-undecanol. By cooling in an ice bath after extraction, the droplets in solution solidify to form a single ball floating on the surface of solution. The solidified microdrop containing the mercury complex was then transferred for determination by CV-AFS. The effects of pH value, concentration of chelating reagent, quantity of 1-undecanol, sample volume, equilibration temperature and time were investigated. Under the optimum conditions, the preconcentration of a 25-mL sample is accomplished with an enrichment factor of 182. The limit of detection (3σ) is 2.5?ng?L^?1. The relative standard deviation for seven replicate determinations at 0.1?ng?mL^?1 level is 4.1%. The method was applied to the determination of mercury in saliva samples collected from four volunteers. Two volunteers having dental amalgam fillings had 0.4?ng?mL^?1 mercury in their saliva, whereas mercury was not detectable in the saliva of two volunteers who had no dental fillings.

Flow injection-chemical vapor generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry hyphenated system for organic mercury determination: A step forward

Monomethylmercury and ethylmercury were determined on line using flow injection-chemical vapor generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry without neither requiring a pre-treatment with chemical oxidants, nor UV/MW additional post column interface, nor organic solvents, nor complexing agents, such as cysteine. Inorganic mercury, monomethylmercury and ethylmercury were detected by atomic fluorescence spectrometry in an Ar/H₂ miniaturized flame after sodium borohydride reduction to Hg⁰, monomethylmercury hydride and ethylmercury hydride, respectively. The effect of mercury complexing agent such as cysteine, ethylendiaminotetracetic acid and HCl with respect to water and Ar/H₂ microflame was investigated.The behavior of inorganic mercury, monomethylmercury and ethylmercury and their cysteine-complexes was also studied by continuous flow-chemical vapor generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry in order to characterize the reduction reaction with tetrahydroborate. When complexed with cysteine, inorganic mercury, monomethylmercury and ethylmercury cannot be separately quantified varying tetrahydroborate concentration due to a lack of selectivity, and their speciation requires a pre-separation stage (e.g. a chromatographic separation). If not complexed with cysteine, monomethylmercury and ethylmercury cannot be separated, as well, but their sum can be quantified separately with respect to inorganic mercury choosing a suitable concentration of tetrahydroborate (e.g. 10^? 5 mol L^? 1), thus allowing the organic/inorganic mercury speciation.The detection limits of the flow injection-chemical vapor generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry method were about 45 nmol L^? 1 (as mercury) for all the species considered, a relative standard deviation ranging between 1.8 and 2.9% and a linear dynamic range between 0.1 and 5 μmol L^? 1 were obtained. Recoveries of monomethylmercury and ethylmercury with respect to inorganic mercury were never less than 91%. Flow injection-chemical vapor generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry method was validated by analyzing the TORT-1 certificate reference material, which contains only monomethylmercury, and obtaining 83 ± 5% of monomethylmercury recovered, respectively. This method was also applied to the determination of monomethylmercury in saliva samples.     

A new vapor generation system for mercury species based on the UV irradiation of mercaptoethanol used in the determination of total and methyl mercury in environmental and biological samples by atomic fluorescence spectrometry

A new vapor generation system for mercury (Hg) species based on the irradiation of mercaptoethanol (ME) with UV was developed to provide an effective sample introduction unit for atomic fluorescence spectrometry (AFS). Preliminary investigations of the mechanism of this novel vapor generation system were based on GC–MS and FT–IR studies. Under optimum conditions, the limits of determination for inorganic divalence mercury and methyl mercury were 60 and 50 pg mL⁻¹, respectively. Certified reference materials (BCR 463 tuna fish and BCR 580 estuarine sediment) were used to validate this new method, and the results agreed well with certified values. This new system provides an attractive alternative method of chemical vapor generation (CVG) of mercury species compared to other developed CVG systems (for example, the traditional KBH₄/NaOH–acid system). To our knowledge, this is the first systematic report on UV/ME-based Hg species vapor generation and the determination of total and methyl Hg in environmental and biological samples using UV/ME–AFS. Figure A new vapor generation system for mercury species using mercaptoethanol under UV irradiation was developed as an effective sample introduction unit for atomic fluorescence spectrometry     

Photo-induced cold vapor generation with low molecular weight alcohol, aldehyde, or carboxylic acid for atomic fluorescence spectrometric determination of mercury

With UV irradiation, Hg²⁺ in aqueous solution can be converted into Hg⁰ cold vapor by low molecular weight alcohols, aldehydes, or carboxylic acids, e.g., methanol, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, glycol, 1,2-propanediol, glycerol, acetic acid, oxalic acid, or malonic acid. It was found that the presence of nano-TiO₂ more or less improved the efficiency of the photo-induced chemical/cold vapor generation (photo-CVG) with most of the organic reductants. The nano-TiO₂-enhanced photo-CVG systems can be coupled to various analytical atomic spectrometric techniques for the determination of ultratrace mercury. In this work, we evaluated the application of this method to the atomic fluorescence spectrometric (AFS) determination of mercury in cold vapor mode. Under the optimized experimental conditions, the instrumental limits of detection (based on three times the standard deviation of 11 measurements of a blank solution) were around 0.02–0.04 μg L⁻¹, with linear dynamic ranges up to 15 μg L⁻¹. The interference of transition metals and the mechanism of the photo-CVG are briefly discussed. Real sample analysis using the photo-CVG-AFS method revealed that it was promising for water and geological analysis of ultralow levels of mercury. Image of the photo-CVG instrumentation showing the photoreactor inside the water cooling unit     

Determination of mercury by electrochemical cold vapor generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry using polyaniline modified graphite electrode as cathode

An electrochemical cold vapor generation system with polyaniline modified graphite electrode as cathode material was developed for Hg (II) determination by coupling with atomic fluorescence spectrometry. This electrochemical cold vapor generation system with polyaniline/graphite electrode exhibited higher sensitivity; excellent stability and lower memory effect compared with graphite electrode electrochemical cold vapor generation system. The relative standard deviation was 2.7% for eleven consecutive measurements of 2 ng mL^− 1 Hg (II) standard solution and the mercury limit of detection for the sample blank solution was 1.3 рg mL^− 1 (3σ). The accuracy of the method was evaluated through analysis of the reference materials GBW09101 (Human hair) and GBW 08517 (Laminaria Japonica Aresch) and the proposed method was successfully applied to the analysis of human hairs.     

Speciation analysis of mercury in seafood by using high-performance liquid chromatography on-line coupled with cold-vapor atomic fluorescence spectrometry via a post column microwave digestion

An automatic system, based on the on-line coupling of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) separation, post column microwave digestion, and cold-vapor atomic fluorescence spectrometry (CVAFS) detection, was proposed for the speciation analysis of four mercury compounds. Post column microwave digestion, in the presence of potassium persulfate (in HCl), was applied in the system to improve the conversion efficiency of three organic mercury compounds into inorganic mercury. Parameters influencing the on-line digestion efficiency and the separation effect were optimized. To avoid water vapor and methanol entering into the atomic fluorescence detector, ice-water mixture bath was used to cool the microwave-digested sample solution. Four mercury species including inorganic mercury chloride (MC), methylmercury chloride (MMC), ethylmercury chloride (EMC) and phenylmercury chloride (PMC) were baseline separated within 13 min by using RP C₁₈ column with a mobile phase of 50% (v/v) methanol containing 10 mmol l⁻¹ tetrabutyl ammonium bromide and 0.1 mol l⁻¹ sodium chloride pumped at 1.2 ml min⁻¹. Seafood samples, composed of three gastropod species and two bivalve species from Yantai port, China, have been analyzed by the proposed method. Dogfish muscle (DORM-2) was analyzed to verify the accuracy of the method and the result was in good agreement with the certified value.     

Determination of mercury and methylmercury in seafood by ion chromatography using photo-induced chemical vapor generation atomic fluorescence spectrometric detection

A novel method based on photo-induced chemical vapor generation (CVG) as interface to on-line coupled Hg-cysteine ion chromatograpy (IC) with atomic fluorescence spectrometry (AFS) was developed for rapid determination of methylmercury (MHg) in seafood. Separation of inorganic mercury (Hg²⁺) and methylmercury(CH₃Hg⁺) was accomplished on a Hamilton PRP X-200 polymer-based exchange column with a mobile of 3% acetonitrile, 1% (w/w) L-cysteine and 20 mmol L^{− 1} pyridine and 160 mmol L^{− 1} formic acid, at pH 2.4 within 7 min. Once separated, both species are reduced by formic acid in mobile phase under UV radiation to convert Hg⁰ on-line, which is subsequently swept (by argon carrier gas) into an atomic fluorescence spectrometry (AFS) for measurement. Under the optimized experiment conditions, the detection limits (as Hg), based on three times the standard deviation of a standard solution, were found to be 0.1 ng mL^{− 1} for mercury and 0.08 ng mL^{− 1} for methylmercury, with an injection volume of 100 μL. The developed method was validated by determination of certified reference material DORM-2 and was further applied in determination of seafood samples.     

Determination of Mercury in Geological Materials by Continuous-Flow,Cold-Vapor,Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry

Abstract

To determine mercury in geological materials, samples are digested with nitric acid and sodium dichromate in a closed teflon vessel. After bringing to a constant weight, the digest is mixed with air and a sodium chloride-hydroxylamine hydrochloride-sulfuric acid solution and then Hg(II) is reduced to Hg with stannous chloride in a continuous flow manifold. The mercury vapor is then separated and measured using cold vapor atomic absorption spectrophotometry (CV-AAS). For a 100 mg sample the limit of detection is 20 parts per billion (ppb) Hg in sample. To obtain a 1% absorption signal, the described method requires 0.21 ppb Hg solution (equal to 16 ppb in sample). Precision is acceptable at less than 1.2% RSD for a 10 ppb Hg aqueous standard. Accuracy is demonstrated by the results of the analysis of standard reference materials. Several elements do interfere but the effect is minimal because either the digestion procedure does not dissolve them (e.g., Au or Pt) or the; are normally of low abundance (e.g., Se or Te).     

Organic,inorganic and total mercury determination in fish by chemical vapor generation with collection on a gold gauze and electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

A method for organic, inorganic and total mercury determination in fish tissue has been developed using chemical vapor generation and collection of mercury vapor on a gold gauze inside a graphite tube and further atomization by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry. After drying and cryogenic grinding, potassium bromide and hydrochloric acid solution (1 mol L^− 1 KBr in 6 mol L^− 1 HCl) was added to the samples. After centrifugation, total mercury was determined in the supernatant. Organomercury compounds were selectively extracted from KBr solution using chloroform and the resultant solution was back extracted with 1% m/v L-cysteine. This solution was used for organic Hg determination. Inorganic Hg remaining in KBr solution was directly determined by chemical vapor generation electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry. Mercury vapor generation from extracts was performed using 1 mol L^− 1 HCl and 2.5% m/v NaBH₄ solutions and a batch chemical vapor generation system. Mercury vapor was collected on the gold gauze heated resistively at 80 °C and the atomization temperature was set at 650 °C. The selectivity of extraction was evaluated using liquid chromatography coupled to chemical vapor generation and determination by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The proposed method was applied for mercury analysis in shark, croaker and tuna fish tissues. Certified reference materials were used to check accuracy and the agreement was better than 95%. The characteristic mass was 60 pg and method limits of detection were 5, 1 and 1 ng g^− 1 for organic, inorganic and total mercury, respectively. With the proposed method it was possible to analyze up to 2, 2 and 6 samples per hour for organic, inorganic and total Hg determination, respectively.     

Direct determination of mercury in white vinegar by matrix assisted photochemical vapor generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry detection

This paper proposes the use of photochemical vapor generation with acetic acid as sample introduction for the direct determination of ultra-trace mercury in white vinegars by atomic fluorescence spectrometry. Under ultraviolet irradiation, the sample matrix (acetic acid) can reduce mercury ion to atomic mercury Hg⁰, which is swept by argon gas into an atomic fluorescence spectrometer for subsequent analytical measurements. The effects of several factors such as the concentration of acetic acid, irradiation time, the flow rate of the carrier gas and matrix effects were discussed and optimized to give detection limits of 0.08 ng mL⁻¹ for mercury. Using the experimental conditions established during the optimization (3% v/v acetic acid, 30 s irradiation time and 20 W mercury lamp), the precision levels, expressed as relative standard deviation, were 4.6% (one day) and 7.8% (inter-day) for mercury (n = 9). Addition/recovery tests for evaluation of the accuracy were in the range of 92–98% for mercury. The method was also validated by analysis of vinegar samples without detectable amount of Hg spiked with aqueous standard reference materials (GBW(E) 080392 and GBW(E) 080393). The results were also compared with those obtained by acid digestion procedure and determination of mercury by ICP-MS. There was no significant difference between the results obtained by the two methods based on a t-test (at 95% confidence level).     

Non-chromatographic speciation analysis of mercury by flow injection on-line preconcentration in combination with chemical vapor generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry

A novel non-chromatographic approach for direct speciation of mercury, based on the selective retention inorganic mercury and methylmercury on the inner wall of a knotted reactor by using ammonium diethyl dithiophosphate and dithizone as complexing agents respectively, was developed for flow injection on-line sorption preconcentration coupled with chemical vapor generation non-dispersive atomic fluorescence spectrometry. With the sample pH kept at 2.0, the preconcentration of inorganic mercury on the inner walls of the knotted reactor was carried out based on the exclusive retention of Hg–DDP complex in the presence of methylmercury via on-line merging the sample solution with ammonium diethyl dithiophosphate solution, and selective preconcentration methylmercury was achieved with dithizone instead of ammonium diethyl dithiophosphate. A 15% (v/v) HCl was introduced to elute the retained mercury species and merge with KBH₄ solution for atomic fluorescence spectrometry detection. Under the optimal experimental conditions, the sample throughputs of inorganic mercury and methylmercury were 30 and 20 h^− 1 with the enhancement factors of 13 and 24. The detection limits were found to be 3.6 ng l^− 1 for Hg²⁺ and 2.0 ng l^− 1 for CH₃Hg⁺. The precisions (RSD) for the 11 replicate measurements of each 0.2 μg l^− 1 of Hg²⁺ and CH₃Hg⁺ were 2.2% and 2.8%, respectively. The developed method was validated by the analysis of certified reference materials (simulated natural water, rice flour and pork) and by recovery measurements on spiked samples, and was applied to the determination of inorganic mercury and methylmercury in biological and environmental water samples.     

Separation and Removal of Mercury(II) from Water Samples Using (Acetylacetone)‐2‐Thiol‐Phenyleneimine Immobilized on Anion‐Exchange Resin Prior to Determination by Cold Vapor Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy

Abstract

(Acetylacetone)‐2‐thiol‐phenyleneimine (H₂L) immobilized on an anion‐exchange resin (Dowex) was used for separation and removal of mercury from natural water samples and for preconcentration prior to its determination by cold vapor inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy. The metal was eluted from the column using a solution of 10% thiourea in 0.1 M HCl. The modified resin is higly selective with an exchange capacity of 1.60 mmol g^?1. Various parameters like pH, column flow rate, and desorbing agents are optimized. The proposed method has a linear calibration range of 15–1000 ng/ml Hg(II), with a relative standard deviation at the 15 ng/ml level of 3.5%. The precision of the method (evaluated as the relative standard deviation obtained after analyzing six series of five replicates) was ±4.2% at the 50 ng/ml level of Hg(II). The method has been used for routine determination of trace levels of mercury species in natural waters. The potential application of modified resin for the removal of mercury(II) from two natural water samples (top water and lake water) spiked with 50 ng/ml of mercury (II) was studied by ICP‐AES, and the results proved that excellent percent extraction of mercury(II) from both natural water samples was obtained by column method using modified resin.     

Determination of Hg in water and wastewater samples by CV-AAS following on-line preconcentration with silver trap

An online mercury preconcentration and determination system consisting of cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry (CV-AAS) coupled to a flow injection (FI) method was studied. The method was developed involving the determination of ng/L levels of mercury retained on the silver wool solid sorbent. Experimental conditions such as sample volume, flow rate, stability of the column and effect of foreign ions on the determination of trace amounts of mercury were optimized. The detection limit is 3 ng/L and dynamic range 10–250 ng/L require only 50 mL of sample. The relative standard deviations (RSD) of the determinations are below 4%. The presence of common metal ions, such as K+, Na⁺, Cu²⁺, Pb²⁺, Fe³⁺, Ni²⁺, and Mn²⁺, does not interfere with the measurement of mercury by this method. The method was successfully applied to the determination of mercury in water and wastewater samples.     

Atomic Absorption Determination of Some Amino Acids Containing a Sulphur Group

Abstract

A simple and rapid atomic absorption method for the determination of some amino acids containing a sulphur group is described. The studied compounds are cysteine, cystine and methionine. The method is based on the addition of an excess of mercury (II) chloride in phosphate buffer, pH 9, forming a white precipitate; the unreacted mercury is separated by centrifugation and the mercury ions in both precipitate and filtrate are determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry at 253.6 nm. The concentration of the studied amino acids is then indirectly determined from a calibration curve for standard mercury (II) chloride solution.

The procedure has been successfully applied to the assay of the pharmaceutical preparations of the studied drugs after thin-layer chromatographic separation. The results of the studied compounds compare favourably with the official methods.     

Ozone as Releasing Agent: The Determination of Trace Mercury in Organic Matrices by Cold Vapor Atomic Absorption

Abstract

Ozonization of aqueous solutions of organomercurials and mercury salts in organic complexing agents is recommended for releasing the mercury for direct determination by cold vapor atomic absorption. The combination of ozonization and subsequent reduction by sodium borohydride is particularly effective.     

Improvements in the Atomic Fluorescence Detection of Mercury

Abstract

A new optical detector box for a commercially available detector for the atomic fluorescence detection of mercury was redesigned and tested. After optimisation of the new set-up the limit of detection was improved 13 fold. It was not feasible to use a hydrogen argon diffusion flame for the speciation of mercury, because of strong fluorescence signal quenching.