微波萃取高效液相色谱-冷原子荧光光谱法测定沉积物中甲基汞和无机汞

建立了微波萃取高效液相色谱-冷原子荧光光谱法(MAE-HPLC-CVAFS)测定沉积物中甲基汞(MeHg+)和无机汞(Hg2+)的方法。以0.1%(V/V)2-巯基乙醇为萃取剂,用于沉积物样品中汞形态的萃取,在80℃下萃取8 min,萃取液直接注入HPLC-CVAFS系统分析。在优化条件下,MeHg+和Hg2+的检出限分别为0.58和0.48 ng/g;加标回收率分别为96.2%和95.8%;RSD(n=6)分别为5.7%和4.1%。对标准参考物质(IAEA-405和ERM-CC580)的分析结果与推荐值一致。本方法简单、快速、准确、检出限低,抗干扰能力强,具有很好的实用性和推广价值。     

Development of a mild mercaptoethanol extraction method for determination of mercury species in biological samples by HPLC–ICP-MS

A mild, efficient and convenient extraction method of using 2-mercaptoethanol contained extractant solution combined with an incubator shaker for determination of mercury species in biological samples by HPLC–ICP-MS has been developed. The effects of the concentration of 2-mercaptoethanol, the composition of the extractant solution and the shaking time on the efficiency of mercury extraction were evaluated. The optimization experiments indicated that the quantitative extraction of mercury species from biological samples could be achieved by using 0.1% (v/v) HCl, 0.1% (v/v) 2-mercapoethanol and 0.15% (m/v) KCl extractant solution in an incubator shaker for shaking overnight (about 12 h) at room temperature. The established method was validated by analysis of various biological certified reference materials, including NRCC DOLT-3 (dogfish liver), IAEA 436 (tuna fish), IAEA MA-B-3/TM (garfish filet), IAEA MA-M-2/TM (mussel tissue), GBW 08193 (bovine liver) and GBW 08572 (prawn). The analytical results of the reference materials were in good agreement with the certified or reference values of both methyl and total mercury, indicating that no distinguishable transformation between mercury species had occurred during the extraction and determination procedures. The limit of detection (LOD) for methyl (CH₃Hg⁺) and inorganic mercury (Hg²⁺) by the method are both as 0.2 μg L⁻¹. The relative standard deviation (R.S.D.s) for CH₃Hg⁺ and Hg²⁺ are 3.0% and 5.8%, respectively. The advantages of the developed extraction method are that (1) it is easy to operate in HPLC–ICP-MS for mercury species determination since the extracted solution can be directly injected into the HPLC column without pH adjustment and (2) the memory effect of mercury in the ICP-MS measurement system can be reduced.     

A rapid ultrasound-assisted thiourea extraction method for the determination of inorganic and methyl mercury in biological and environmental samples by CVAAS

A rapid ultrasound-assisted extraction procedure for the determination of total mercury, inorganic and methyl mercury (MM) in various environmental matrices (animal tissues, samples of plant origin and coal fly ash) has been developed. The mercury contents were estimated by cold vapour atomic absorption spectrometry (CVAAS). Inorganic mercury (IM) was determined using SnCl₂ as reducing agent whereas total mercury was determined after oxidation of methyl mercury through UV irradiation. Operational parameters such as extractant composition (HNO₃ and thiourea), sonication time and sonication amplitude found to be different for different matrices and were optimized using IAEA-350 (Fish homogenate), IM and MM loaded moss and NIST-1633b (Coal fly ash) to get quantitative extraction of total mercury. The method was further validated through the analysis of additional certified reference materials (RM): NRCC-DORM2 (Dogfish muscle), NRCC-DOLT1 (Dogfish liver) and IAEA-336 (Lichen). Quantitative recovery of total Hg was achieved using mixtures of 5% HNO₃ and 0.02% thiourea, 10% HNO₃ and 0.02% thiourea, 20% HNO₃ and 0.2% thiourea for fish tissues, plant matrices and coal fly ash samples, respectively. The results obtained were in close agreement with certified values with an overall precision in the range of 5-15%. The proposed ultrasound-assisted extraction procedure significantly reduces the time required for sample treatment for the extraction of Hg species. The extracted mercury species are very stable even after 24 h of sonication. Closed microwave digestion was also used for comparison purposes. The proposed method was applied for the determination of Hg in field samples of lichens, mosses, coal fly ash and coal samples     

Determination of total and methyl mercury in human permanent healthy teeth by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry after extraction in organic phase

A simple and sensitive method has been developed for determination of inorganic and methyl mercury in biological samples by ETAAS. For determination of methyl mercury; it was transferred to toluene phase by acid leaching extraction method. For total mercury after digestion of samples; it was extracted to toluene phase by means of the chelating agent diethyldithiocarbamate. Formation of complex between MeHg and diethyldithiocarbamate enhance the MeHg signal and increases the reproducibility. Furthermore, Pd-DDC was used as modifier for both mercury and methyl mercury determinations. The optimization performance was independently carried out by modifying the parameters such as temperature of mineralization, atomization and gas flow rate for methylmercury and inorganic mercury in ETAAS. The limits of detection were 0.15 and 0.12 μg g⁻¹ for methyl mercury and total mercury, respectively. The repeatability of the measurements of whole procedure were 15.8% for methyl mercury and 16.9% for total mercury determination. The accuracy of the method has been investigated by means of spiking different amounts of methylmercury and inorganic mercury to the samples. The recoveries were found within the range of 88-95% for methyl mercury and 85-92% for total mercury. For determination of total mercury, the method was validated by CVAAS. The obtained results by the present procedure were in good agreement with those of the CVAAS. The proposed method was applied for 30 human permanent healthy teeth (without filling) which significant positive correlations were found among number of amalgam filling and total mercury and MeHg.     

Determination of total mercury in environmental and biological samples by flow injection cold vapour atomic absorption spectrometry

A simple and accurate method has been developed for the determination of total mercury in environmental and biological samples. The method utilises an off-line microwave digestion stage followed by analysis using a flow injection system with detection by cold vapour atomic absorption spectrometry.

The method has been validated using two certified reference materials (DORM-1 dogfish and MESS-2 estuarine sediment) and the results agreed well with the certified values. A detection limit of 0.2 ng g⁻¹ Hg was obtained and no significant interference was observed. The method was finally applied to the determination of mercury in river sediments and canned tuna fish, and gave results in the range 0.1–3.0 mg kg⁻¹.     

Mercury speciation and analysis in drinking water by stir bar sorptive extraction with in situ propyl derivatization and thermal desorption-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

A method for mercury analysis and speciation in drinking water was developed, which involved stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) with in situ propyl derivatization and thermal desorption (TD)-GC-MS. Ten millilitre of tap water or bottled water was used. After a stir bar, pH adjustment agent and derivatization reagent were added, SBSE was performed. Then, the stir bar was subjected to TD-GC-MS. The detection limits were 0.01 ng mL(-1) (ethylmercury; EtHg), 0.02 ng mL(-1) (methylmercury; MeHg), and 0.2 ng mL(-1) (Hg(II) and diethylmercury (DiEtHg)). The method showed good linearity and correlation coefficients. The average recoveries of mercury species (n=5) in water samples spiked with 0.5, 2.0, and 6.0 ng mL(-1) mercury species were 93.1-131.1% (RSD<11.5%), 90.1-106.4% (RSD<7.8%), and 94.2-109.6% (RSD<8.8%), respectively. The method enables the precise determination of standards and can be applied to the determination of mercury species in water samples.     

Direct determination of mercury in cosmetic samples by isotope dilution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry after dissolution with formic acid

A new method was proposed for the accurate determination of mercury in cosmetic samples based on isotopic dilution (ID)-photochemical vapor generation (PVG)-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP MS) measurement. Cosmetic samples were directly dissolved in formic acid solution and subsequently subjected to PVG for the reduction of mercury into vapor species following by ICP MS detection. Therefore, the risks of analyte contamination and loss were avoided. Highly enriched ²⁰¹Hg isotopic spike is added to cosmetics and the isotope ratios of ²⁰¹Hg/²⁰²Hg were measured for the quantitation of mercury. With ID calibration, the influences originating from sample matrixes for the determination of mercury in cosmetic samples have been efficiently eliminated. The effects of several experimental parameters, such as the concentration of the formic acid, and the flow rates of carrier gas and sample were investigated. The method provided good reproducibility and the detection limits were found to be 0.6 pg mL⁻¹. Finally, the developed method was successfully applied for the determination of mercury in six cosmetic samples and a spike test was performed to verify the accuracy of the method.     

Simultaneous speciation of mercury and butyltin compounds in natural waters and snow by propylation and species-specific isotope dilution mass spectrometry analysis

A robust method has been developed for simultaneous determination of mercury and butyltin compounds in aqueous samples. This method is capable of providing accurate results for analyte concentrations in the picogram per liter to nanogram per liter range. The simultaneous determination of the mercury and tin compounds is achieved by species-specific isotope dilution, derivatization, and gas chromatography–inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (GC–ICP–MS). In derivatization by ethylation and propylation, reaction conditions such as pH and the effect of chloride were carefully studied. Ethylation was found to be more sensitive to matrix effects, especially for mercury compounds. Propylation was thus the preferred derivatization method for simultaneous determination of organomercury and organotin compounds in environmental samples. The analytical method is highly accurate and precise, with RSD values of 1 and 3% for analyte concentrations in the picogram per liter to nanogram per liter range. By use of cleaning procedures and SIDMS blank measurements, detection limits in the range 10–60 pg L^–1 were achieved; these are suitable for determination of background levels of these contaminants in environmental samples. This was demonstrated by using the method for analysis of real snow and seawater samples. This work illustrates the great advantage of species-specific isotope dilution for the validation of an analytical speciation method—the possibility of overcoming species transformations and non-quantitative recovery. Analysis time is saved by use of the simultaneous method, because of the use of a single sample-preparation procedure and one analysis.     

Determination of Organic and Inorganic Mercury Species as Emetine Dithiocarbamate Complexes by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography with Electrogenerated Tris(2,2′-bipyridine)ruthenium(III) Chemiluminescence Detection

A sensitive method for simultaneous determination of organic and inorganic mercury species has been developed and is presented in this study. The method is based on complex formation of mercury species with the emetine dithiocarbamate (emetine-CS₂) ligand, HPLC separation, and tris(2,2′-bipyridine)ruthenium(III) chemiluminescence detection. The complexation reactions of the mercury species and emetine-CS₂ ligand occurred instantaneously upon the addition of emetine-CS₂ solution to the solution containing the mercury species. The complete separation of these complexes was achieved using an ODS column with 20 mM NaH₂PO₄-acetonitrile (52:48, v/v) containing 30 mM NaClO₄ as an ion-pair reagent. The calibration graphs of these complexes were linear in the range from 1–100 µg/L. The detection limits were 0.27 µg/L, 0.33 µg/L, 0.39 µg/L, and 0.17 µg/L for methylmercury, ethylmercury, phenylmercury, and the mercury ion, respectively, at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3. The developed technique was validated by analyzing certified reference materials, CRM7402-a (cod fish, NMIJ) and CE464 (tuna fish, ERM), in combination with sonication-assisted acid leaching and liquid-liquid extraction. The emetine-CS₂ ligand has been used for extraction, separation, and detection of mercury species. The results determined using the proposed method were in good agreement with the values of the certified reference materials. The MeHg⁺ and EtHg⁺ recoveries for the spiked samples were found to be almost 100%.     

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.     

The determination of total mercury at the part per billion level in soils, ores, and organic materials.

A method has been developed whereby very low levels of mercury can be determined in both inorganic (soils and ores) and organic samples such as coals. Samples are decomposed in a Leco furnace, and mercury is collected by amalgamation on gold-plated Nichrome wire; it is then flashed off for spectrometric determination at 253.7 nm. Satisfactory results were achieved in the p.p.b. range.     

Determination of trace amounts of methylmercury in sediment and biological tissue by using water vapor distillation in combination with RP C18 preconcentration and HPLC-HPF/HHPN-ICP-MS

A novel technique has been developed for the determination of trace amounts of methylmercury in sediment and biological tissues. The well known water vapor distillation technique for the isolation of methylmercury from different matrices was coupled with an RP C18 preconcentration using dithiocarbamate complexation. A newly developed HPLC-method allowed the separation of five different mercury species at different mercury masses with HPF/HHPN (High-Performance-Flow/Hydraulic-High-Pressure-Nebulizing) and detection by ICP-MS. The method takes advantage of the ability to measure individual isotopes. Recoveries of the water vapor distillation procedure samples for different mercury compounds from sediment were tested. For methylmercury, the detection limit for a 0.5 g sample was calculated to be 0.025 μg/kg. The new technique was assured using different reference materials. Received: 23 October 1996 / Revised: 14 February 1997 / Accepted: 16 February 1997     

Voltammetric methods for determination of mercury in domestic waste and compost

A voltammetric method for the determination of mercury in domestic waste, compost produced from it and in water extracts of these samples is described. The solid samples have been digested with concentrated acids and the extracts by UV irradiation. Conditions for the voltammetric determination of mercury with a gold disc electrode in samples of very complicated composition have been worked out. To avoid the disturbing influence of copper a special potential — time program has been applied, whereas the disturbing effect of iron has been removed by complexation of Fe(III) with fluoride ions or by medium exchange. The procedure proposed suits very well for determination of mercury in the samples studied. A very low leachability of mercury from compost was found.     

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     

Determination of trace amounts of methylmercury in sediment and biological tissue by using water vapor distillation in combination with RP C18 preconcentration and HPLC-HPF/HHPN-ICP-MS

A novel technique has been developed for the determination of trace amounts of methylmercury in sediment and biological tissues. The well known water vapor distillation technique for the isolation of methylmercury from different matrices was coupled with an RP C18 preconcentration using dithiocarbamate complexation. A newly developed HPLC-method allowed the separation of five different mercury species at different mercury masses with HPF/HHPN (High-Performance-Flow/Hydraulic-High-Pressure-Nebulizing) and detection by ICP-MS. The method takes advantage of the ability to measure individual isotopes. Recoveries of the water vapor distillation procedure samples for different mercury compounds from sediment were tested. For methylmercury, the detection limit for a 0.5 g sample was calculated to be 0.025 μg/kg. The new technique was assured using different reference materials.     

A radiochemical neutron activation analysis method for the determination of total mercury in coal

A radiochemical neutron activation analysis method has been developed based on pyrolysis followed by double gold amalgamation for the determination of mercury in solid samples. Accurate results were obtained for mercury in six standard reference materials of varying matrices, including coal. Linearity was demonstrated up to mercury concentrations of 10,000 ng/g. The method is capable of yielding precise, reproducible values with a detection limit of 5 ng/g for mercury in coal.     

光诱导蒸气发生-高效液相色谱-电感耦合等离子体质谱联用测定汞形态

以紫外光诱导化学蒸气(UV-CVG)发生为接口,建立了高效液相色谱与电感耦合等离子体质谱联用测定无机汞、甲基汞的分析方法.对色谱条件、紫外光化学反应还原剂甲酸浓度、紫外光化学反应管长度等系统操作条件进行了优化.在优化的系统条件下,4 μg/L无机汞和甲基汞的色谱峰高的相对标准偏差(RSD,n=11)分别为0.72％和0.66％;无机汞和甲基汞的线性范围为0.1～10μg/L,100 μL进样检出限分别为0.011和0.0093 μg/L.用DORM-2角鲨鱼肉参考物质验证了方法的准确性,测试结果与推荐值吻合;对沼泽湿地水样中无机汞和甲基汞的加标回收率分别在99％～106％和94％～110％范围内.     

Determination of lead, cadmium and mercury in microwave-digested foodstuffs by RP-HPLC with an on-line enrichment technique.

A new method for the simultaneous determination of lead, cadmium and mercury ions in microwave-digested foodstuffs by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography combined with on-line enrichment technique has been developed. The foodstuff samples were digested by microwave digestion. The lead, cadmium and mercury ions can be precolumn derivatized with 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(3-aminophenyl)porphine (T3APP) to form color chelates; then, the Hg-T3APP, Cd-T3APP and Pb-T3APP chelates can be enriched and separated on a valve switching HPLC system combined with on-line enrichment technique. The linearity ranges are 0.01-120 microg/l for each metal ion. The detection limits (S/N = 3) of lead, cadmium and mercury are 1.2 ng/l, 0.5 ng/l and 0.8 ng/l, respectively. This method was applied to the determination of lead, cadmium and mercury in foodstuffs with good results.     

Adsorptive cathodic stripping voltammetry determination of ultra trace levels of cobalt

The complexation of Co(II) with 4-(2-pyridylazo)resorcinol (PAR) was studied by spectroscopy and voltammetry. In addition, an adsorptive stripping voltammetric method was developed for the determination of ultra trace levels of Co(II) using a hanging mercury drop electrode. The method is based on accumulation of Co(II) on a mercury electrode using PAR as the complexing agent. The effects of instrumental and chemical parameters on the sensitivity of the method were investigated. The detection limit of the method is 0.003 ng/mL. Most foreign species do not interfere with the determination. The high sensitivity and selectivity of this method were demonstrated by determination of cobalt in blood and water samples.     

Determination of ultra-trace amount methyl-, phenyl- and inorganic mercury in environmental and biological samples by liquid chromatography with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry after cloud point extraction preconcentration

The cloud point extraction (CPE) preconcentration of ultra-trace amount of mercury species prior to reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) detection was studied. Mercury species including methyl-, ethyl-, phenyl- and inorganic mercury were transformed into hydrophobic chelates by reaction with sodium diethyldithiocarbamate, and the hydrophobic chelates were extracted into a surfactant-rich phase of Triton X-114 upon heating in a water bath at 40 °C. Ethylmercury was found partially decomposed during the CPE process, and was not included in the developed method. Various experimental conditions affecting the CPE preconcentration, HPLC separation, and ICP-MS determination were optimized. Under the optimized conditions, detection limits of 13, 8 and 6 ng l⁻¹ (as Hg) were achieved for MeHg⁺, PhHg⁺ and Hg²⁺, respectively. Seven determinations of a standard solution containing the three mercury species each at 0.5 ng ml⁻¹ level produced relative standard deviations of 5.3, 2.3 and 4.4% for MeHg⁺, PhHg⁺ and Hg²⁺, respectively. The developed method was successfully applied for the determination of the three mercury species in environmental water samples and biological samples of human hair and ocean fish.