Species determination of selenium in natural waters

A method is described for the determination in natural waters of selenite, selenate, dimethyl selenide, and dimethyl diselenide. The detection limits are in the parts per trillion range. The volatile methyl species are removed from the sample with a stripping gas. The inorganic forms are selectively reduced to the hydride, and also stripped from the sample. A liquid nitrogen trap is used to collect both the selenides and the generated hydrides. Separation of the methyl species is accomplished by gas chromatography. All the species are detected by an atomic absorption spectrometer equipped with a quartz tube furnace.     

Studies of the naturally occurring biomethylation of selenium and the determination of the products

A systematic study of the biomethylation of selenium and the determination of the methylated species indicates preliminarily that selenium is susceptible to natural biomethylation under certain environmental conditions. Detectable levels of methylated selenium species, including dimethyl selenide [(CH₃)₂Se], dimethyl diselenide [(CH₃)₂Se₂] and dimethylselenone [(CH₃)₂SeO₂] have been detected by gas chromatography – graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry (GC – GF AA) from a variety of environmental samples. Findings of naturally methylated selenium species from both soil samples and related air samples suggest that there may exist a localized cycle of selenium between ground soil and the ambient air. Factors that influence the sensitivity and accuracy for the determination of alkyl selenide compounds by GC – GF AA have also been investigated. Flashlike injection mode and addition of about 10% of hydrogen gas to the argon carrier gas provide for highly sensitive detection. Reproducible determination can be obtained with a precision of about 6% and the detection limits are 0.3 ng Se m^?3.     

Separation and Detection of Arsenic and Selenium Species in Environmental Samples by HPLC-ICP-MS

A method is presented for arsenic speciation analysis of an oyster sample using ion chromatography coupled with an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) instrument. A strong anion exchange resin was employed with a step gradient elution of 0.1 mM/0.1 M K 2 SO 4 at pH 10.2. Arsenobetaine and dimethylarsinic acid were determined following extraction based on trypsin enzymolysis with 95-100% extraction efficiency. Limits of detection in the range 0.1-0.3 mg kg m 1 of arsenic were obtained for organic arsenic species. No inorganic arsenic was detected. Validation was performed using TORT-2 as a certified reference material. Although high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled to ICP-MS is an effective method for speciation analysis it is not always necessary to obtain such a detailed picture. A simple liquid chromatographic separation technique based upon mini-column technology is presented. It was developed to obtain a fast, efficient and reliable separation of inorganic from organic, i.e. assumed toxic from non-toxic, arsenic and selenium species suitable for use as an initial screening method for environmental analysis. Two types of strong anion exchange resin were tested. Excellent separation was obtained for both min-column resins and analysis times were within 7 min. Limits of detection obtained for inorganic arsenic, organic arsenic, selenomethionine, Se IV and Se VI were 1.6, 1.8, 66, 32 and 22 µg kg m 1 , respectively.     

Speciation of metallothionein-like proteins of the mussel Mytilus edulis by orthogonal separation mechanisms with inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry detection: effect of selenium administration

Several complementary separation mechanisms (size-exclusion chromatography, SEC; fast protein liquid chromatography, FPLC; reverse-phase chromatography, RPC) have been coupled to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) detection to investigate the speciation of Cd, Se, Cu and Zn in mussel hepatopancreas. SEC with double-focusing (DF) ICP-MS detection was used first for speciation analysis of those four trace elements, both in uncontaminated mussels and in mussels exposed to Cd (500 μg l⁻¹) or to Cd+Se (500 μg l⁻¹ of each element). Observed SEC results indicated that Se does not seem to significantly bind to metallothionein-like proteins (MLPs) ‘in vivo’. Total cytosolic Cd and MLPs content were lower in Cd+Se exposed mussels than those exposed to Cd only. For each treatment, 50 μl of the SEC peak fraction containing the MLPs was used to perform fast protein liquid chromatography coupled ‘on-line’ with a quadrupole (Q) ICP-MS. ⁸²Se and ¹¹⁴Cd isotopes were simultaneously monitored. Four and five Cd/MLPs isoforms were then detected in mussels exposed to only Cd and Cd+Se, respectively. In contrast, no signs of Se/MLP isoforms were found for both treatments. Subsequently, the bulk of MLPs eluting from the FPLC system were isolated and lyophilizated. A 50-μl aliquot of such reconstituted lyophilisate was then injected into a Vydac C₈ Reverse-Phase column directly connected to the Q-ICP-MS. Results confirmed the presence of one more Cd/MLP peak in those mussels exposed to Cd+Se. However, the number of Cd/MLP peaks detected decreased to three and four in only Cd and Cd+Se exposed animals, respectively. These results tend to indicate that Se, which does not trigger the biosynthesis of MLPs, could probably orient such synthesis towards the generation of a new Cd/MLP isoform in mussels submitted to both elements. The possible interrelation/complementation between Se and MLP against Cd toxicity is discussed.     

Coupling Pervaporation-Gas Chromatography for Speciation of Volatile Forms of Selenium in Sediments

Abstract

A method for speciation of dimethylselenide (DMeSe), dimethyldiselenide (DMeDSe) and diethylselenide (DEtSe) in sediments based on a coupling between a pervaporation module, a preconcentration sorptive trap and a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer is reported. The coupling is performed through a high pressure injection valve which allows two different operational modes: (a) analysis without preconcentration, in which analytes are directly driven from the pervaporation chamber to the injection port of the chromatograph, and (b) analysis with preconcentration in a trap, in which the analytes from the pervaporation chamber are first trapped on a Tenax minicolumn and then thermally desorbed and driven to the GC. This second approach improves the sensitivity compared to the direct coupling, reaching estimated absolute detection limits lower than 0.6 ng Se for each tested species. The method is applied to the determination of volatile organic selenium species in several sediments collected from different areas in the Southwest of Spain.     

NMR studies on dimethyl selenide and dimethyl telluride oriented in the nematic phase of a liquid crystal

¹H NMR spectra of dimethyl selenide with ¹³C and ⁷⁷Se satellites and of dimethyl telluride with ¹³C, ¹²³Te and ¹²⁵Te satellites have been investigated. The structural information has been derived and is found to be in good agreement with microwave results for dimethyl selenide. For dimethyl telluride our results disagree with earlier data obtained by extrapolation from similar molecules.     

Simultaneous determination of arsenic, selenium and antimony species using HPLC/ICP-MS

A new method for the simultaneous separation and determination of four arsenic species [As(III), As(V), monomethylarsonic acid and dimethylarsinic acid], three selenium species [Se(IV), Se(VI) and selenomethionine] as well as Sb(III) and Sb(V) is presented. The speciation was achieved by on-line coupling of anion exchange high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Chromatographic parameters such as the composition and pH of the mobile phase were optimised. Limits of detection are below 4.5 μg L^–1 (as element) for Sb(III) and the selenium species and below 0.5 μg L^–1 for the other species. Precisions of retention times were better than 2% RSD and of peak areas better than 8% RSD for all the species investigated.     

Biomimetic chromatographic analysis of selenium species: Application for the estimation of their pharmacokinetic properties

The retention behavior of selenites, selenates, seleno-dl-methionine, selenocystine, selenocystamine, selenourea, dimethyl selenide, and dimethyl diselenide was investigated by means of biomimetic liquid chromatography. For this purpose, two immobilized artificial membrane (IAM) columns, namely, IAM.PC.DD2 and IAM.PC.MG, and two immobilized plasma protein columns, human serum albumin (HSA) and α₁-acid glycoprotein (AGP) columns, were employed using different mobile phase conditions in respect to pH and buffer composition. In general, satisfactory interrelations between retention factors obtained with the two IAM stationary phases and HSA/AGP columns were obtained. Large differences were observed between biomimetic retention factors and octanol–water logD values, since the latter fail to describe electrostatic interactions. In contrast, despite the column diversity, the net retention outcome on all four biomimetic columns was quite similar, especially in the presence of phosphate-buffered saline, which by its effective shielding alleviates the differences between the stationary phases. Of the two IAM columns, IAM.PC.DD2 showed better performance when compared with HSA and AGP columns as well as to octanol–water partitioning. Biomimetic chromatographic indices were further used to estimate the percentage of human oral absorption and plasma protein binding of the eight selenium species investigated, according to equations previously reported in the literature. The estimated values of human oral absorption imply moderate absorption only for dimethyl diselenide, which also may exhibit considerable plasma protein binding. Moderate affinity for plasma proteins should also be expected for dimethyl selenide and selenocystamine.

Facile and reproducible syntheses of bis(dialkylselenophosphenyl)-selenides and -diselenides: X-ray structures of ((i)Pr2PSe)2Se, ((i)Pr2PSe)2Se2 and (Ph2PSe)2Se

Facile and reproducible methods for the syntheses of bis(di-iso-propylselenophosphinyl)selenide ((i)Pr2PSe)2Se (1), bis(di-iso-propylselenophosphinyl)diselenide ((i)Pr2PSe)2Se2 (2) and bis(di-phenylselenophosphinyl)selenide (Ph2PSe)2Se (3) is reported.     

原子荧光光谱法直接测定二甲基二硒

硒位于第六主族,为准金属元素。在自然界中硒的存在形式按其结合形态分为无机硒和有机硒[1,2]。有机硒较无机硒具有更高的生物活性,因此准确测定各种样品中的有机硒具有重要意义。对于挥发性有机硒,一般采用洗脱富集将其与样品基体分离,采用固相吸附[3,4]或液氮冷阱捕集[5,6],热解析或溶剂萃取后用气相色谱测定[7,8]。这些方法可以提供许多有机硒的信息,但其不足之处是程序较为繁琐。原子荧光光谱分析法(AFS)具有准确度高、灵敏度高、线性范围宽、干扰少等优点,故本文利用AFS的特点及二甲基二硒(DMDSe)的挥发性,在不加任何试剂的条件下,…     

Selenium speciation analysis in a sediment using strong anion exchange and reversed phase chromatography coupled with inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry

An analytical procedure for selenium speciation of analysis of selenourea (SeU), selenoethionine (SeE), selenomethionine (SeM), Se(VI), Se(IV), dimethylselenide (dMeSe) and dimethyldiselenide (dMedSe) was developed, based on two complementary liquid chromatography (LC) techniques coupled with inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Specifically, strong anion exchange (SAX) chromatography coupled with ICP-MS was used for the separation and quantification of all the earlier mentioned Se compounds, except for the two methyl selenides, which could be separated and determined by reversed phase chromatography coupled with ICP-MS. This procedure was applied to a soil sample from the warm springs area of Thermopyles (Greece). For leaching the Se species from the soil sample, four extraction methods, using water at ambient temperature, hot water, methanol and 0.5 M HCl, were tested for their efficiency of extracting the different Se species. The speciation results obtained by the LC-ICP-MS methods were compared with those obtained by voltammetric techniques. The determination of total selenium in the sample was achieved by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry, as well as by ICP-atomic emission spectrometry, after suitable digestion of the sediment sample.     

Distinguishing conventional and distonic radical cations by using dimethyl diselenide

Dimethyl diselenide is demonstrated to be among the most powerful reagents used to identify distonic radical cations. Most such ions readily abstract CH₃Se^. from dimethyl diselenide. The reaction is faster and more exclusive than CH₃S^. abstraction from dimethyl disulfide, a reaction used successfully in the past to identify numerous distonic ions. Very acidic distonic ions, such as HC⁺(OH)OCH^.₂, do not undergo CH₃Se^. abstraction, but instead protonate dimethyl diselenide. In sharp contrast to the reactivity of distonic ions, most conventional radical cations were found either to react by exclusive electron transfer or to be unreactive toward dimethyl diselenide. Hence, this reagent allows distinction of distonic and conventional isomers, which was demonstrated directly by examining two such isomer pairs. To be able to predict whether electron transfer is exothermic (and hence likely to occur), the ionization energy of dimethyl diselenide was determined by bracketing experiments. The low value obtained (7.9 ± 0.1 eV) indicates that dimethyl diselenide will react with many conventional carbon-, sulfur-, and oxygen-containing radical cations by electron transfer. Nitrogen-containing conventional radical cations were found either to react with dimethyl diselenide by electron transfer or to be unreactive.     

Liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry for on-line characterization, monitoring and isotopic profiling of the main selenium-metabolite in human urine after consumption of Se-rich and Se-enriched food

The metabolism of selenium (Se) in the human body has yet not completely been unravelled and hence, an efficient method for characterization and on-line monitoring of the main Se-compound in human urine after consumption of Se-rich food was developed. Total Se-concentration in human urine after consumption of several Se-rich products was measured with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The highest Se concentration in urine was observed after 4-10 h. The urine samples were brought onto a reversed phase column and the Se was detected by ICP-MS. Parameters for liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS-MS) measurements were optimized by using commercially available sugars, because it is known that some of the urinary metabolites contain a sugar moiety. In order to characterize the predominant Se-metabolite, it was necessary to extensively clean-up the sample and preconcentrate the species. The main metabolite was measured on its precursor ion on three different m/z according to three isotopes of Se. Relative peak surfaces matched the relative abundances of the isotopes. The product ions could be measured in a human urine sample in accordance to the product ions of the commercially available sugars. Moreover, the evidence of a selenosugar was demonstrated by the use of the Se-isotopes when measuring the product ions. LC-ESI-MS-MS was proven to be very efficient for the characterization of the main urinary Se-metabolite and can be used for on-line monitoring of the compound in urine samples. The method can be extended for clinical screening after consumption of Se-(en)rich(ed) food by use of the Se-isotopic profile and/or of the typical product ions of (methyl)-N-acetyl-hexosamines.     

Selenium speciation in Agaricus bisporus and Lentinula edodes mushroom proteins using multi-dimensional chromatography coupled to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

In this study, selenium species from Se containing proteins in mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus and Lentinula edodes) were investigated with size-exclusion liquid chromatography coupled to UV and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Different protein extraction protocols were investigated. Variability of the fractionation patterns with three extraction media (0.1M NaOH, 30 mM Tris-HCl, and enzymatic digestions) was evaluated for both mushroom types. A 24 h Tris-HCl extraction followed by acetone addition was found to be optimal for protein precipitation. Presumably protein bound selenoamino acids were released using enzymes (proteinase K, protease XIV and trypsin). The selenium speciation of the proteolytic extract of the water soluble proteins fraction was carried out by using reversed-phase ion-pairing high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPIPC) coupled on-line to ICP-MS for selenium specific detection. Selenocystine, selenomethionine, methylselenocysteine and inorganic selenium were established in both samples utilizing retention time standards and standard additions to the sample.     

Simultaneous speciation of arsenic,selenium, and chromium: species stability,sample preservation,and analysis of ash and soil leachates

An analytical method using high-performance liquid chromatography separation with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) detection previously developed for the determination of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) has been adapted to allow the determination of As(III), As(V), Se(IV), Se(VI), Cr(III), and Cr(VI) under the same chromatographic conditions. Using this method, all six inorganic species can be determined in less than 3 min. A dynamic reaction cell (DRC)–ICP-MS system was used to detect the species eluted from the chromatographic column in order to reduce interferences. A variety of reaction cell gases and conditions may be utilized with the DRC–ICP-MS, and final selection of conditions is determined by data quality objectives. Results indicated all starting standards, reagents, and sample vials should be thoroughly tested for contamination. Tests on species stability indicated that refrigeration at 10 °C was preferential to freezing for most species, particularly when all species were present, and that sample solutions and extracts should be analyzed as soon as possible to eliminate species instability and interconversion effects. A variety of environmental and geological samples, including waters and deionized water [leachates] and simulated biological leachates from soils and wildfire ashes have been analyzed using this method. Analytical spikes performed on each sample were used to evaluate data quality. Speciation analyses were conducted on deionized water leachates and simulated lung fluid leachates of ash and soils impacted by wildfires. These results show that, for leachates containing high levels of total Cr, the majority of the chromium was present in the hexavalent Cr(VI) form. In general, total and hexavalent chromium levels for samples taken from burned residential areas were higher than those obtained from non-residential forested areas. Arsenic, when found, was generally in the more oxidized As(V) form. Selenium (IV) and (VI) were present, but typically at low levels.     

Deconvolution of isobaric interferences in mass spectra

The concept of isobar deconvolution using the mass domain and signal intensity based domains is described. The intensity domain-based approach employs the reconstruction of the observed isotope pattern from the isolated patterns of the isobaric species. The quantitative information is adjusted with the use of the least squares algorithm. The mass domain-based approach employs signal deconvolution by forming Gaussian components for which the peak width and position can be predicted a priori. The latter method is applicable to medium resolution instruments, such as TOF-MS, while the pattern reconstruction approach is applicable also to low resolution instrumentation, such as quadrupole-based ICP-MS or GC/MS. An example of CH(z)Se (z = 0-4) cluster analysis in dimethyl diselenide mass spectra is given to illustrate the concepts underlying both approaches.     

Sequential photocatalyst-assisted digestion and vapor generation device coupled with anion exchange chromatography and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry for speciation analysis of selenium species in biological samples

We have developed an on-line sequential photocatalyst-assisted digestion and vaporization device (SPADVD), which operates through the nano-TiO₂-catalyzed photo-oxidation and reduction of selenium (Se) species, for coupling between anion exchange chromatography (LC) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) systems to provide a simple and sensitive hyphenated method for the speciation analysis of Se species without the need for conventional chemical digestion and vaporization techniques. Because our proposed on-line SPADVD allows both organic and inorganic Se species in the column effluent to be converted on-line into volatile Se products, which are then measured directly through ICP-MS, the complexity of the procedure and the probability of contamination arising from the use of additional chemicals are both low. Under the optimized conditions for SPADVD – using 1 g of nano-TiO₂ per liter, at pH 3, and illuminating for 80 s – we found that Se(IV), Se(VI), and selenomethionine (SeMet) were all converted quantitatively into volatile Se products. In addition, because the digestion and vaporization efficiencies of all the tested selenicals were improved when using our proposed on-line LC/SPADVD/ICP-MS system, the detection limits for Se(IV), Se(VI), and SeMet were all in the nanogram-per-liter range (based on 3σ). A series of validation experiments – analysis of neat and spiked extracted samples – indicated that our proposed methods could be applied satisfactorily to the speciation analysis of organic and inorganic Se species in the extracts of Se-enriched supplements.     

微波消解/电感耦合等离子体质谱法同时测定食品纸包装材料与食品模拟物中24种元素

建立了微波消解/电感耦合等离子体质谱(ICP-MS)同时检测食品纸包装材料及3种食品模拟物(纯水、4%乙酸、10%乙醇)中Li,Be,B,Al,V,Cu,Mn,Zn,Cr,Ni,As,Sr,Zr,Se,Mo,Ag,Cd,Sn,Sb,Te,Ba,Hg,Tl,Pb 24种元素的分析方法,并对元素的迁移行为进行了研究。包装材料样品经微波消解后利用ICP-MS检测;迁移试验中的食品模拟物直接利用ICP-MS检测。在优化实验条件下,24种元素在0~1 000μg/L范围内线性关系良好;方法检出限(MLOD)为0.000 3~0.465 mg/kg;在1.0~1 000 mg/kg加标水平下的平均回收率为90.5%~125.3%;相对标准偏差(RSD,n=3)为1.2%~6.8%。该方法前处理简便、灵敏准确、适用范围广,可用于食品纸包装材料中元素含量的测定及迁移行为的研究,从而为食品纸包装材料的质量监督提供了科学依据。     

Determination of selenium species in human urine by high performance liquid chromatography and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

A method developed to determine organic and inorganic selenium species in human urine samples is presented in detail. After a simple sample treatment based on elimination of non-charged organic compounds, selenium species were separated by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) on a Spherisorb 5 ODS/AMINO column using two different chromatographic conditions: phosphate buffers at pH 2.8 and 6.0. Detection was carried out using an on-line inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS). Trimethylselenonium ion and two unknown selenium species in urine samples were found. Selenium species were shown to have stability problems, with the maximum allowed storage time of 1 week.     

Enzymatic probe sonication extraction of Se in animal-based food samples: a new perspective on sample preparation for total and Se speciation analysis

This paper describes a fast, simple and novel extraction method for total selenium and selenium species determination in food samples. Parameters influencing extraction, such as sonication time, extracting media, temperature, sample mass, ultrasound amplitude and sample/enzyme mass ratio were investigated. The enzymatic hydrolysis proposed, enhanced by probe sonication, allowed the quantitative extraction of selenium in chicken muscle, liver, kidney and feed (97, 93, 95 and 102%, respectively) in 2 min, maintaining the original Se-species integrity. Total Se content of the samples was determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Se-species were identified and quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography in conjunction with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Chromatographic analyses were carried out under two chromatographic conditions and led to the identification of SeMet in all samples. The accuracy of the proposed method was assessed using certified reference materials as well as microwave digestion. Potential advantages of the proposed method over traditional hydrolysis are speed, simplicity and safety of the procedure.