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.     

Simultaneous determination of arsenic and antimony by hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry with dielectric barrier discharge atomizer

Simultaneous determination of As and Sb by hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry was developed with the dielectric barrier discharge plasma as the hydride atomizer. The low-temperature and atmospheric-pressure micro-plasma was generated in a quartz cylindrical configuration device, which was constructed by an axial internal electrode and an outer electrode surrounding outside of the tube. The optimization of the atomizer construction and parameters for hydride generation and fluorescence detection systems were carried out. Under the optimized conditions, the detection limits for As and Sb were 0.04 and 0.05 μg L⁻¹, respectively. In addition, the applicability of the present method was confirmed by the detection of As and Sb in reference materials of quartz sandstone (GBW07106) and argillaceous limestone (GBW07108). The present work provided a new approach to exploit the miniaturized hydride generation dielectric barrier discharge atomic fluorescence spectrometry system for simultaneous multi-element determination.     

The analysis of inorganic and organometallic antimony,arsenic and tin compounds using an on-column hydride generation method

A novel method of analysis of inorganic and organometallic compounds is reported. Essentially this utilizes the well-documented hydride generation technique, but in the present method the hydrides are generated from their involatile precursors (e.g. chlorides) on a GC column and separated from each other and from extraneous materials on the same GC column in a single process. Using the method, a solution of butyltin chlorides can be directly injected into a GC AA system to yield the volatile hydrides for separation, detection and quantification. To date, species analysed by this method include inorganic As(III), Me₂AsOOH, inorganic Sb(III) and Sb(V), MeSnCl₃, Me₂SnCl₂, Me₃SnCl, Et₂SnCl₂, Et₃SnCl, BuSnCl₃, Bu₂SnCl₂, Bu₃SnCl and Pr₃SnCl. With the use of the internal standard Pr₃SnCl and with the almost complete hydridization afforded by the technique, the procedure is shown to eliminate errors and to reduce the time involved in the analysis. The use of on-column derivatization also allows for the possibility that, in some cases, organotin hydrides reported to be found in the natural environment may, in fact, be organotin chlorides being reported as hydrides owing to inadvertent hydride production on the column. Some reports of successful gas chromatography for organotin halides could also conceivably be due to on-column hydride generation.     

The atomic absorption spectrometric determination of arsenic,bismuth, lead,antimony, selenium and tin with a flame-heated silica t-tube after hydride generation

A modified technique with a simple T-tube for atomisation held above conventional atomic absorption burners is described. The absolute sensitivities are in the range 0.3–11 ng and the r.s.d. is usually below 5%. It is confirmed that prior oxidation of lead markedly increases the sensitivity.     

Simultaneous determination of antimony,arsenic and copper by neutron activation analysis

A rapid procedure has been developed for the mutual separation of antimony and arsenic using tribenzylamine as the extracting agent. The extraction behaviours of Sb(III), Sb(V), As(III), As(V) and Au(III) have been studied as a function of the acidity of the aqueous phase. Various factors which affect the extraction of these complexes have been studied and optimized. The procedure was then applied to lead base alloy for the simultaneous determination of antimony, arsenic and copper. Chemical recoveries were quantitative and only about one hour is required for the chemical processing of duplicate samples.     

The determination of antimony and arsenic concentrations in fly ash by hydride generation inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry

Hydride generation inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (HG-ICP-OES) was used in the determination of As and Sb concentrations in fly ash samples. The effect of sample pre-treatment reagents and measurement parameters used for hydride generation was evaluated. Due to memory effects observed, the appropriate read delay time was adjusted to 60 s resulting in RSDs 0.6% and 2.3% for As and Sb, respectively. The most suitable volumes of pre-reduction reagents for 10 mL of sample were 4 mL of KI/ascorbic acid (5%) and 6 mL of HCl (conc.). The determination of Sb was significantly interfered by HF, but the interference could be eliminated by adding 2 mL of saturated boric acid and heating the samples to 60 °C at least 45 min. The accuracy of the method was studied by analyses of SRM 1633b and two fly ash samples with the recovery test of added As and Sb. As high a recovery as 96% for SRM 1633b was reached for As using 193.696 nm with two-step ultrasound-assisted digestion. A recovery rate of 103% was obtained for Sb using 217.582 nm and the pre-reduction method with the addition of 2 mL of saturated boric acid and heating. The quantification limits for the determination of As and Sb in the fly ash samples using two-step ultrasound-assisted digestion followed with HG-ICP-OES were 0.89 and 1.37 mg kg⁻¹, respectively.     

Continuous flow hydride generation for the preconcentration and determination of arsenic and antimony by GFAAS

A method has been developed for the determination of arsenic and antimony at sub-ppb level using hydride preconcentration inside the graphite furnace. The influence of the quality of the graphite surface, of its modification with palladium coating and of the ways of introducing hydride into the furnace on the analytical signal is discussed. After optimization of system parameters, detection limits of 25 and 36 pg were obtained for arsenic and antimony. Characteristic masses (for arsenic and antimony, respectively) were 31 and 33 pg/0.0044 A·s for direct injection GFAAS and 69 and 57 pg/0.0044 A·s for hydride in situ preconcentration and atomization in the palladium coated graphite tube. Therefore the overall efficiency of the hydride generation and trapping was estimated to be 45 and 58% for arsenic and antimony, respectively.     

Simultaneous determination of arsenic, selenium and antimony in water by an inductively coupled plasma hydride method

Summary Arsenic, selenium and antimony were determined using on-line hydride generation in conjunction with a simultaneous medium power inductively coupled plasma (ICP) spectrometer with conventional pneumatic nebulization. The sample, acidified with 3 mol/l hydrochloric acid was mixed with 1% (m/v) sodium tetrahydroborate and 5% (m/v) potassium iodide, the mixed stream being pumped to the nebulizer of the ICP spectrometer. Calibration curves were linear up to 1 mg/l analyte, with detection limits of 2; 3 and 3 g/l for arsenic, antimony and selenium, respectively, for 10 s integration times and a sample uptake rate of 2.15 ml/min.     

Application of hydride generation for the determination of antimony and arsenic in biological material by neutron activation analysis

A rapid and sensitive procedure for the determination of antimony and arsenic in biological material is described. It is based on thermal neutron activation to ¹²²Sb (t_{$\text{1}\text{2}$} = 2.7 d) and ⁷⁶As (t_{$\text{1}\text{2}$} = 26.4 h), dry ashing with magnesium nitrate as the oxidizing agent and volatilization of the hydrides which are collected on an active carbon trap. This carbon adsorber is counted. The limit of determination is 5 ng g^-1 for both elements.     

Reduction of interferences in the determination of germanium by hydride generation and atomic emission spectrometry

Effects of interferences and methods for the reduction of interferences in the determination of germanium were studied. Simultaneous signal enhancement and reduction of interference were achieved using l-cysteine, l-cystine, penicillamine and thioglycerol. Amino acids such as glycine and alanine showed some capacity to reduce interferences, but this was both different in mechanism from, and inferior to, the reagents mentioned above. Histidine, on the other hand, proved to be superior to l-cysteine in its ability to reduce interferences from high levels of nickel. Sodium citrate, sodium oxalate, thiourea and thiosemicarbazide also reduced interferences to some extent. Mechanisms are proposed to explain reduction of interferences and enhancement of signals by the thiol-containing compounds and to explain the behaviour of amino acids as interference-reducing reagents.     

Simultaneous determination of arsenic, antimony and tin by fast-scan differential-pulse polarography and its application to alloy steels

Arsenic, antimony and tin can be determined in the presence of one another by fast-scan differential-pulse polarography (FSDPP) on a single mercury drop in 1.5M hydrochloric acid. The reduction of As(III), Sb(III) and Sn(IV) to the metals is practically reversible and the reduction peaks are sufficiently separated. The lower limits of determination are 0.05, 0.005 and 0.001 μg/ml for As, Sb and Sn respectively, the calibration graphs exhibit very good linearity and the peak heights are reproducible. For application to alloy steels employed in nuclear technology, the elements to be determined must be separated from the matrix by extraction as their covalent bromides into toluene from concentrated sulphuric acid and back-extracted into the base electrolyte (1.5M HCl + 0.012M Br⁻ + 0.03M hydrazinium sulphate). The recoveries of As, Sb and Sn are 100, 95 and 92% respectively and the relative error of determination is a few per cent.     

Simultaneous determination of phosphorus. arsenic and germanium and the separation of silicon and arsenic by solvent extraction

A simple, rapid, accurate and reliable method for the simultaneous determination of phosphorus, arsenic and germanium as their heteropoly blue complexes is reported. The method involves selective extraction of phosphomolybdic acid at pH 1.0-0.8, and selective extraction of germanomolybdic acid by isooctyl alcohol at pH 0.4, followed by back-extraction of the germanomolybdic acid with water, and reduction of arsenomolybdic acid in the remaining aqueous phase. A rapid and reliable method is also reported for the simultaneous determination of arsenic and silicon by selective extraction of silicomolybdic acid with isooctyl alcohol at pH < 0.4 and the back-extraction of the silicomolybdic acid with water; arsenic is determined in the remaining aqueous phase. The procedure can be applied to the simultaneous determination of phosphorus, arsenic and silicon.     

Separation of trace antimony and arsenic prior to hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometric determination

A separation method utilizing a synthetic zeolite (mordenite) was developed in order to eliminate the gas phase interference of Sb(III) on As(III) during quartz furnace hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometric (HGAAS) determination. The efficiency of the proposed separation method in the reduction of suppression effects of transition metal ions on As(III) signal was also investigated. Among the volatile hydride-forming elements and their different oxidation states tested (Sb(III), Sb(V), Se(IV), Se(VI), Te(IV), and Te(VI)), only Sb(III) was found to have a signal depression effect even at low (μg l⁻¹) concentrations under the experimental conditions employed. It has been shown that mordenite adsorbs Sb(III) quantitatively, even at a concentration of 1000 μg l⁻¹, at pHs greater than two, and also, it reduces the initial concentrations of the transition metal ions to lower levels which can be tolerated in many studies. The adsorption of Sb(III) on mordenite follows the Freundlich isotherm and is endothermic in nature.     

Interferences of hydride forming elements and of mercury in the determination of antimony, arsenic, selenium and tin by hydride-generation AAS

Summary By means of the radiotracer technique supplemented by conventional absorption measurements, the interferences of As, Bi, Hg, Pb, Sb, Se, Sn and Te in amounts between 10 g and 1 mg with the determination of As, Sb, Se and Sn by hydride generation AAS using heated quartz tube were investigated during the hydride-generation and the atomization stages. Amounts up to 100 g of Hg and Pb do not cause any detectable interference. The interference of Bi and Te is dominant in the hydride-generation stage and that of As, Se, Sb and Sn in the atomization stage. Tin is retained to a considerable extent in the quartz tube and the resulting memory effect makes the determination of As, Sb, and Se impossible. In the absence of interfering elements, the efficiency of the formation of hydrides of As, Sb, Se and Sn was close to 100%. However, a reduction of Sb(V) to Sb(III) prior to the hydride-generation is necessary for which an improved procedure was developed.

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Störungen von Hydridbildnern und von Quecksilber bei der Bestimmung von Antimon, Arsen, Selen und Zinn durch die Hydrid-AAS

Zusammenfassung Mittels der Radiotracertechnik und Atomabsorptionsspektrometrie wurde der Störeinfluß unterschiedlicher Mengen (10–1000 g) von As, Bi, Hg, Pb, Sb, Se, Sn und Te auf die Bestimmung von As, Sb, Se und Sn mit der Hydrid-AAS untersucht. Durch diese Verfahrenskombination war es möglich, das Ausmaß der Störungen durch diese Elemente sowohl im Hydrierungs- als auch im Atomisierungsschritt zu bestimmen sowie zum großen Teil auch die Gründe für ihr Auftreten aufzuklären. Keine nachweisbare Störung verursachen Hg und Pb bis zu jeweils 100 g. Die Störung durch Bi und Te tritt hauptsächlich im Hydrierungsgefäß auf, hingegen die durch As, Sb, Se und Sn im wesentlichen in der Quarzabsorptionszelle. Bei Zinn wurde ein starker Memoryeffekt festgestellt, der aus der Ablagerung dieses Elements in der Quarzküvette resultiert und der die Bestimmung von As, Sb und Se völlig unmöglich macht. Ohne diese Störelemente liegen die Hydrierungsausbeuten für As, Sb, Se und Sn bei nahezu 100%. Bei Antimon ist allerdings eine vorherige Reduktion von Sb(V) zu Sb(III) notwendig, für die ein verbessertes Verfahren vorgeschlagen wurde. Denn durch die Radiotracertechnik konnte nachgewiesen werden, daß die während der Alterung von Sb(V)-Lösungen durch Kondensationsprozesse entstehenden Polysäuren nicht mehr hydriert werden können.

     

Simultaneous determination of trace arsenic, antimony, bismuth and selenium in biological samples by hydride generation-four-channel atomic fluorescence spectrometry

A new and sample technique for the simultaneous determination of trace arsenic, antimony, bismuth and selenium in biologic samples by hydride generation-four-channel nondispersive atomic fluorescence spectrometry was development. The conditions of instrumentation and hydride generation of arsenic, antimony, bismuth and selenium were optimized. For reducing hexavalent Se to the tetravalent state was to heat the sample with 6 mol l⁻¹ HCl, and then pre-reducing pentavalent As and Sb to the trivalent state was achieved by the addition of 0.05 mol l⁻¹ thiourea. The interferences of coexisting ions were evaluated. Under optimal conditions, the detection limits for As, Sb, Bi and Se were determined to be 0.03, 0.04, 0.04 and 0.03 ng ml⁻¹, respectively. The precision for seven replicate determinations at the 5 ng ml⁻¹ of As, Sb, Bi and Se were 0.9, 1.2, 1.3 and 1.5% (R.S.D.), respectively. The proposed method was successfully applied to the simultaneous determination of As, Sb, Bi and Se in a series of Chinese certified biological reference materials using simple aqueous standard calibration technique, the results obtained are in good agreement with the certified values.     

Optimization of chemical and instrumental parameters in hydride generation laser-induced breakdown spectrometry for the determination of arsenic,antimony, lead and germanium in aqueous samples

A laser induced breakdown spectrometry hyphenated with on-line continuous flow hydride generation sample introduction system, HG-LIBS, has been used for the determination of arsenic, antimony, lead and germanium in aqueous environments. Optimum chemical and instrumental parameters governing chemical hydride generation, laser plasma formation and detection were investigated for each element under argon and nitrogen atmosphere. Arsenic, antimony and germanium have presented strong enhancement in signal strength under argon atmosphere while lead has shown no sensitivity to ambient gas type. Detection limits of 1.1 mg L⁻¹, 1.0 mg L⁻¹, 1.3 mg L⁻¹ and 0.2 mg L⁻¹ were obtained for As, Sb, Pb and Ge, respectively. Up to 77 times enhancement in detection limit of Pb were obtained, compared to the result obtained from the direct analysis of liquids by LIBS. Applicability of the technique to real water samples was tested through spiking experiments and recoveries higher than 80% were obtained. Results demonstrate that, HG-LIBS approach is suitable for quantitative analysis of toxic elements and sufficiently fast for real time continuous monitoring in aqueous environments.     

Study of some interfering processes in the arsenic, antimony and selenium determination by hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry

Summary A detailed study of interfering processes in the determination of As, Sb and Se using a twin-channel hydride generation flow-system is presented. The influence of As, Sb, Se and Sn on all three studied elements has a similar character and occurs in the gas phase only. In the presence of bismuth and tellurium interferences occur also in the liquid phase. It was found that arsenic and antimony may influence the analytical signals of elements with analytical lines in the range from 190 to 235 nm by non-specific absorption due to molecular band spectra.Dedicated to Professor Dr. Wilhelm Fresenius on the occasion of his 80th birthday     

Improvements in the non-dispersive atomic fluorescence spectrometric determination of arsenic and antimony by a hydride generation technique

A sodium borohydride reduction, with subsequent atomization in a small argon—hydrogen—entrained air flame has been developed for the determination of arsenic and antimony by non-dispersive atomic fluorescence spectrometry. The proposed method increases the signal level and decreases the noise level in the system. The detection limits for arsenic and antimony are 0.05 ng and 0.1 ng, respectively. The analytical working curves are linear over about four decades of concentration from the detection limits. The consumption rates of hydrogen and argon are comparatively low, while the speed of hydride evolution is improved; a peak measurement requires less than 40 s. The technique has been applied to the determination of arsenic in steel samples.     

Investigation of the direct hydride generation nebulizer for the determination of arsenic,antimony and selenium in inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry

A direct hydride generation nebulizer (DHGN) was explored for introduction of the sample in inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) using radially viewed mode. This simple hydride generation system was constructed in our laboratory and requires similar plasma operating conditions to conventional nebulizer-spray-chamber arrangements. This work was focused on the optimization of the operating conditions for hydride generation and evaluation of the main analytical figures of merit for the determination of As, Sb and Se. The excitation conditions of the ICP-OES instrument operated with the DHGN were also explored. Results showed that the analytical performance of the new system for the determination of As, Sb and Se was superior to that of conventional nebulization systems. The DHGN also enabled the determination of elements that do not form volatile hydrides, but with less sensitivity than conventional nebulization systems. Evaluation of the plasma robustness showed that gases generated in hydride generation do not significantly affects the plasma discharge. Similar to conventional hydride generation techniques, analysis with DHGN was susceptible to non-spectroscopic interferences produced by transition metals. Finally, the utility of the DHGN in practical ICP-OES studies was demonstrated in the determination of trace elements in an oyster tissue standard reference material.