Trace element speciation in soils,soil extracts and solutions

The term speciation used in a chemical sense is defined. A brief review of procedures for trace element speciation in soils, including single extraction methods, sequential extraction techniques and soil solution methods, is presented.     

Approach for rapid extraction and speciation of mercury using a microtip ultrasonic probe followed by LC-ICP-MS

A fast method for mercury extraction from biological samples based on the use of HCl leaching plus different enzymatic hydrolysis (with and without mercury complexing agents), and the use of focussed ultrasounds (2-mm microtip) is here proposed. Total mercury content in several biological samples was determined by FI-ICP-MS using a carrier solution consisting of 0.1% (v/v) HCl, 0.1% (v/v) 2-mercaptoethanol, to avoid memory effect, and 0.15% (w/v) KCl. For mercury speciation a RP18 chromatographic column coupled to ICP-MS was used. A mobile phase consisting of 0.1% (v/v) formic acid, 0.1% (v/v) HFBA, 2% (v/v) methanol, and 0.02% (w/v) mM l-cysteine at pH 2.1 was used for chromatographic separation of the mercury species in the sample extracts. Extraction procedures were validated by using 50 mg of tuna fish tissue CRM-463 (2.85 ± 0.16 mg kg⁻¹ for methylmercury). The recoveries obtained were 99 ± 3% and 93 ± 1% after acid leaching (HCl 7 M) and enzymatic extraction (15 mg protease type XIV in 2.5% (v/v) 2-mercaptoethanol), respectively. The optimal sonication conditions (5 min of exposure time and 40% of ultrasound amplitude) were applied to 5 mg of CRM-463 (88 ± 5%), 5 mg of mussel tissue (81 ± 11%) and to 2 mg of zebra fish embryos (90 ± 10%) obtaining good recoveries in all cases. Methylmecury was found to be the most abundant Hg specie in all samples. The developed method is simple and rapid (5 min sample treatment); it is suitable for very small samples and does not alter the original form of the mercury species. Thus, it is of special interest in those cases in which validation of the results may often be hampered by lack of sample availability.     

Selenium speciation by high-performance liquid chromatography with on-line detection by atomic absorption spectrometry

Several approaches to the determination of selenomethionine, selenocystine, selenite and selenate by high-performance liquid chromatography with online detection by atomic absorption spectrometry are described. The N?2,4-dinitrophenyl derivatives of selenomethionine, selenoethionine, selenocystine and phenylmercury(II) cystineselenoate were recovered from aqueous solution, separated on a Nucleosil 5-NO₂ reversed-phase HPLC column with a methanolic mobile phase containing acetic acid and triethylamine, and detected with a quartz thermochemical hydride-generating interface–atomic absorption spectrometry (AA) system. The restriction of having to perform chromatography with an organic mobile phase (to support the combusion process) was overcome with a new interface design capable of operation with either organic or aqueous HPLC mobile phases. Using aqueous acetic acid (0.015% v/v) containing 0.1% (w/v) ammonium acetate delivered at 0.5cm³ min^?1, selenate, selenite, selenomethionine, selenocystine and selenoethionine were separated virtually to baseline on a cyanopropyl-bonded phase HPLC column. Other selenium compounds which were investigated included methane seleninic and methane selenonic acids as well as the crude oxidation product mixtures resulting from the treatment of selenomethionine and selenocystine with hydrogen peroxide. A procedure for extracting selenate, selenite, selenomethionine, selenocystine and selenoethionine from spiked water or ground feed supplement into liquefied phenol resulted in acceptable recoveries for the latter four analytes but was unacceptably low for selenate.     

Loss of selenium in water samples at natural levels during storage

Selenium losses in river, ground, snow-melt and tap water samples, and the recovery of selenite, selenate and selenomethionine added to purified water have been studied. In 1-litre high-density polyethylene bottles, tap, river and snow-melt water samples (at Se concentrations of 44.5–138 ng/l) could be stored at 4 °C for up to 15 days without Se losses. In similar samples stored at room temperature Se losses of 13–25% after 15 days were found, except for groundwater, which showed no Se losses during storage for 13 months at room temperature or at 4 °C. Selenite and selenate added to purified water were recovered without losses after 15 days at 4 °C, while 7.5% of selenomethionine was lost. The stability of different chemical forms of Se during storage followed the order: selenate > selenomethionine > selenite. It is recommended that unacidified water samples should not be kept in polyethylene bottles at room temperature for more than 1 week, nor stored at 4 °C for more than 2 weeks, before analysis for Se.     

Selenium speciation in anaerobic granular sludge

Chromatographic (IC-CD, GC-FID) and spectroscopic (XRD) techniques that allow the specific determination of several selenium species present or formed during bioremediation processes of selenate contaminated drinking, ground, or wastewaters have been established. The developed techniques are shown to be applicable in determining selenium species in the range of target concentrations for emissions and are thus appropriate to characterize bioremediation processes. The applied techniques offer advantages regarding short analytical times without loss of satisfactory accurateness towards more sophisticated methods. By means of IC-CD, selenate and selenite can be detected specifically to concentrations far below allowance levels for metal finishing industries (20?µg?L^?1 selenate, 40?µg?L^?1 selenite) within 16.0?min. Thus, the removal of selenate from the liquid phase by anaerobic granular sludge was quantified by IC-CD, and the concomitantly formed red precipitates were analysed by XRD. Hexagonal elemental selenium was found to be present in the XRD analysis. Even if the precipitate contained iron and zinc, as shown by ICP-OES, no iron- or zinc-containing selenium minerals were detected by XRD. The GC-FID method described determines dimethylselenide and dimethyldiselenide at a detection limit of 1?ng and 2?ng, respectively, without further chemical derivatization within 7.4?min. Thus, the GC-FID offers adequate detection of two major volatile organic selenium species potentially formed during bioremediation of selenium contaminated waters.     

Reversed-phase ion-pair chromatographic separation of selenite and selenate with selenium-specific detection

Tetraalkylammonium salts [R₃RN]⁺X^– (R=R, XCH₃, Cl; C₂H₅, Br; C₃H₇, Br; C₄H₉, H₂PO₄; C₅H₁₁ Br; R, R, XCH₃, C₁₆H₃₃, Br) were investigated as ion-pairing reagents for the reversed-phase ion-pair chromatographic separation of selenite and selenate. Other chromatographic parameters such as composition and pH of the mobile phase and concentration of the ion-pairing reagent were also investigated. The compatibility of the proposed chromatographic procedures with various selenium-specific detectors is discussed. The absolute detection limits were found to be 31 ng Se for selenite and 51 ng Se for selenate (100 l injection) with a solution of 5 mM tetrabutylammonium dihydrogen phosphate in 5050 (v/v) methanol/water as mobile phase at a flow rate of 1 ml/min when a flame atomic absorption spectrometer was used as detector. The HPLC/FAAS system was employed for the determination of selenite in solutions serving as selenium supplement for animals.     

Arsenic speciation in hair extracts

Ingested arsenic is known to be not only excreted by urine, but to be stored in sulphydryl-rich tissue like hair, nail or skin. We developed an extraction method for arsenic species from these tissues and studied the stability of different arsenic species during the extraction process. Inorganic and pentavalent methylated arsenic was found to be stable under the extraction conditions, whereas trivalent methylated arsenicals and the thio-analogue of DMA^V (DMAS) showed reduced stability. The absorption ability of hair for these different species was studied as well. Inorganic arsenic is better absorbed by hair than monomethyl- or dimethyl-arsenicals, whereby the trivalent forms are taken up better than the pentavalent forms. Independent of which methylated arsenical was used for the incubation, the pentavalent form was always the dominant form after extraction. Hair and nail samples from humans suffering from chronic arsenic intoxication contained dominantly inorganic arsenic with small and strongly varying amounts of DMA^V and MA^V present. DMAS was only found in some nail sample extracts containing unusually high amounts of DMA^V and is believed to be formed during the extraction process.     

不同质量浓度亚硒酸钠对豌豆芽苗菜生长及硒含量的影响

调查了不同质量浓度亚硒酸钠喷施对豌豆芽苗菜生长的影响及植物体硒富集情况。结果 表明,对苗长2．5cm、5．0cm的豌豆芽苗菜两次喷施,处理质量浓度高于150mg／L,豌豆苗芽长、芽干质量和鲜质量、根长、根鲜质量及产量均有大幅度下降。豌豆芽苗菜中大分子结合硒和全硒含量均随外源硒的质量浓度升高而增加,但明显低于全硒的增加趋势;150mg/L处理的硒吸收利用率出现明显下降。     

g-C3 N4 富集结合毛细管电泳与电感耦合等离子体质谱联用分析西瓜中硒形态

硒是人体所必需的微量元素之一,对人身体健康非常重要。该工作称取2.0 g三聚氰胺于反应釜中,在600℃下密闭加热2 h,冷却至室温,取0.5 g上述产物置于烧杯中在室温下超声10 h,静置30 min,取上层乳白色溶液于60℃下烘干,即得类石墨烯氮化碳（g-C₃ N₄ ）。所制备的g-C₃ N₄ 经傅里叶变换红外光谱（FT-IR）、X射线粉末衍射（XRD）、场发射环境扫描电子显微镜（SEM）进行表征,证明g-C₃ N₄ 已经成功合成。建立了毛细管电泳-电感耦合等离子体质谱（CE-ICP-MS）联用技术测定西瓜中硒形态的新方法。用胃蛋白酶作提取剂及超声波辅助提取西瓜中的硒形态,经g-C₃ N₄ 富集、长100 cm内径100 μm毛细管分离,电泳电压为22 kV,缓冲液为8 mmol/L NaH₂ PO₄ -12 mmol/L H₃ BO₃ -0.2 mmol/L十六烷基三甲基溴化铵（CTAB）（pH 9.2）,于11 min内完全分离6种硒形态。所建立的方法检测速度快、灵敏度高,采用CH₄ 作动态反应气消除干扰。硒脲（SeUr）、硒代胱氨酸（SeCys₂ ）、硒代蛋氨酸（SeMet）、亚硒酸钠（Se（Ⅳ））、硒酸钠（Se（Ⅵ））、硒代乙硫氨酸（SeEt）的线性范围（按Se计）分别为0.017~20 μg/L、0.091~50 μg/L、0.032~40 μg/L、0.023~60 μg/L、0.015~75 μg/L、0.015~30 μg/L。各硒形态的线性相关系数均大于0.9995,SeUr、SeCys₂ 、SeMet、Se（Ⅳ）、Se（Ⅵ）、SeEt的检出限分别为6.2、30、11、8.2、48、5.5 ng/L,回收率为96.0%~106%,RSD < 3%。将本方法应用于西瓜中硒形态分析,结果令人满意。     

Optimization of capillary zone electrophoresis parameters for selenium speciation

The behaviour of four biologically relevant selenium compounds (Se(VI), Se(IV), selenomethionine and selenocystine) in capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) was investigated. Parameters which affect the separation, detection and sample introduction were investigated to improve the sensitivity of the analysis. Short-term repeatability was evaluated and detection limits were found to be in the g·l^–1 range.     

联用技术测定富硒农产品中硒的形态研究进展

硒的营养功能与农产品硒的形态息息相关。联用技术作为元素形态分析的有效方法,近年来受到了人们广泛关注。对用联用技术测定富硒农产品中硒的形态研究现状及进展进行了综述,包括前处理技术、色谱分离技术和定量检测方法等3个方面。     

Selenium speciation in foods: Preliminary results on potatoes

The present paper deals with the speciation of selenium in potatoes (enriched or not in selenium). The study was carried out by using differential pulse cathodic stripping voltammetry (DPCSV) for quantifying selenium. Results obtained provide evidence that the selenium content in the protein fraction is rather independent from the selenium added to the plants during their growth. On the contrary, the amount of Se in the non-protein fraction (water and starch) in Se-enriched sample is significantly higher than in non-enriched one, suggesting that it is the main selenium-storing site. In this fraction the Se(VI)/Se(IV) ratio seems independent from selenium application but it may be related to the redox conditions. The accumulation of selenium in the non-protein fraction is tentatively ascribed to the “Se–starch interaction” that should be able to modulate both the Se absorption into proteins and, possibly, its toxic effect for the plant itself.     

Evaluation of extraction methods for arsenic speciation in polluted soil and rotten ore by HPLC-HG-AFS analysis

Three extraction systems including shaking, ultrasonic and microwave-assisted extraction were evaluated. Water and phosphate buffer were tested for the extraction of arsenic compounds in polluted soil, describing the water-soluble or plant-available fraction. The stabilities and recoveries of various arsenic species indicated that no obvious changes of species occurred during the extraction process. The raw extracts were cleaned up by C₁₈ cartridge before analysis. Having optimized the extraction conditions, the arsenic species in polluted soil and ore from the different pollution sources were extracted by microwave-assisted extraction with 0.5 M phosphate buffer as extractant. Arsenic species were quantitatively determined by high performance liquid chromatography on-line coupled with hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry (HPLC-HG-AFS). As(III) and As(V) were the major arsenic species in the polluted soil samples resulting from irrigation by waste water. As^V was the only form found in the rotten ore sampled in mining area. During the extraction process, the recoveries of spiked As(III), As(V), DMA(V) and MMA(V) were 85.4 ± 7.2%, 80.2 ± 6.7%, 101.6 ± 6.7% and 98.8 ± 9.1%, respectively, showing that most water-soluble arsenic could be measured.     

生物样品中硒的测定方法及形态分析研究进展

硒的毒性和营养功能不仅与其总量有关,而且与其存在的化学形态有关。因此,硒的测定及形态分析对于了解不同形态的硒化物在生物体和环境中的迁移转化规律具有重要意义。文章综述了生物样品中硒的测定分析方法以及形态分析研究进展。     

土壤环境中的硒对人和动物健康的影响

硒是人和动物必需的微量元素之一。土壤中的硒含量过多或过低，人和 动物都会出现地方性疾病。土壤中硒的含量与土壤母质、地形、气候条件和土壤条件性质等有关，调节土壤性质可以改善作物的含硒量。防治硒缺额症和硒中毒症，每天必需摄入适量的硒，以100－200μg为宜，但人体对硒的需要量也与食物成分有关。     

Inter‐laboratory validation of EPA method 3200 for mercury speciation analysis using prepared soil reference materials

Determinations of the concentration of individual mercury species from environmental samples have increased significantly over the past decade. The techniques used for the determination of mercury species in soils or sediments generally involve a series of analytical steps (extraction, separation, detection) that may all be prone to systematic errors. An inter‐laboratory validation study of the EPA draft method 3200 was conducted under the auspices of the United States Environmental Protection Agency on two specifically prepared soil matrices. The study was performed successfully by a limited number of participating laboratories. Evaluation of the data demonstrates that the method is more highly efficient for extracting the highly toxic methylmercury than inorganic mercury. The proposed method does not induce transformation of methylmercury to inorganic mercury. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

表面活性剂存在下氢化物发生原子荧光法测定微量硒的研究及应用

研究了不同表面活性剂对硒的氢化物发生原子荧光测定(HG-AFS)的影响,发展了一种灵敏度高、选择性好的HG-AFS测定硒的方法。在定量还原Se(Ⅳ)为Se(Ⅳ)的条件下,测定了补硒品康必硒中的Se(Ⅳ)、Se(Ⅳ)和有机硒的含量。     

土壤硒污染的生物修复技术

硒是一种较特殊的微量元素，人和动物缺硒和硒中毒之间的范围很窄，土壤硒污染能对当地的人和动物产生重大伤害。采用传统的土壤污染治理方法，成本高，效果差，而近年来兴起的生物修复技术是治理土壤硒污染的既有效又经济的方法。     

The Chemical Speciation and Behavior of Mercury and Selenium in the Insoluble Fraction of Striped Dolphin Liver

Most of the mercury and selenium exist in the insoluble fraction of dolphin liver. After the insoluble fraction was digested by alkaline protease in the presence of 1% SDS, approximately 50% of Hg and Se consisted in the supernatant and the others in the residue. Gel filtration chromatography of the hydrolysate showed that 96% of Hg and 87% of Se were combined with the high molecular weight proteins stably, which cannot be substituted by the complex reagents.Mercury and selenium in the residue were confirmed as HgSe crystal.     

CZE for the speciation of arsenic in aqueous soil extracts

We developed two separation methods using CZE with UV detection for the determination of the most common inorganic and methylated arsenic species and some phenylarsenic compounds. Based on the separation method for anions using hydrodynamic sample injection the detection limits were 0.52, 0.25, 0.27, 0.12, 0.37, 0.6, 0.6, 1.2 and 1.0 mg As/L for phenylarsine oxide (PAO), p-aminophenylarsonic acid (p-APAA), o-aminophenylarsonic (o-APAA), phenylarsonic acid (PAA), 4-hydroxy-3-nitrobenzenearsonic acid (roxarsone), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), arsenite or arsenious acid (As(III)) and arsenate (As(V)), respectively. These detection limits were improved by large-volume sample stacking with polarity switching to 32, 28, 14, 42, 22, 27, 26 and 27 microg As/L for p-APAA, o-APAA, PAA, roxarsone, MMA, DMA, As(III) and As(V), respectively. We have applied both methods to the analysis of the arsenic species distribution in aqueous soil extracts. The identification of the arsenic species was validated by means of both standard addition and comparison with standard UV spectra. The comparison of the arsenic species concentrations in the extracts determined by CZE with the total arsenic concentrations measured by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) indicated that CZE is suited for the speciation of arsenic in environmental samples with a high arsenic content. The extraction yield of phenylarsenic compounds from soil was derived from the arsenic concentrations of the aqueous soil extracts and the total arsenic content of the soil determined by ICP-AES after microwave digestion. We found that 6-32% of the total amount of arsenic in the soil was extractable by a one-step extraction with water in dependence on the type of arsenic species.