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     

A Sequential Extraction Method Measures the Toxic Metal Content in Fly Ash from a Municipal Solid Waste Incinerator

The purpose of this research was to develop an optimized pretreatment procedure for toxic metals (Pb, Cd, Zn and Cu) content in fly ash from a municipal waste incinerator. In addition, modified sequential extraction procedures were used to characterize the chemical composition of the fly ash samples. The sequential extraction resolved the fly ash elements into the following chemical forms: soluble, exchangeable, carbonate, oxide, organic, and silicate compounds. Certified reference city waste incineration ash (BCR.176) was used as target ash samples. A H₂O₂+HNO₃+HF mixed acid digestion solution with a low temperature evaporation procedure was selected as optimal for the fly ash digestion. The digested solution was analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP‐MS), which effectively determined the concentrations of the toxic metal elements in BCR.176. Except for Cd, the recovery of Pb, Zn, and Cu under H₂O₂+HNO₃+HF digestion and their sequential extraction procedures were higher than 95%. The relative standard deviations (RSD) for recoveries of the four elements were within 10%. Furthermore, the sequential extraction procedure's results provided information on the potential mobility of the studied elements. Most of the Cd was bound to water‐soluble and carbonate material in the fly ash samples. Most of the Pb, Zn, and Cu was released to carbonates and bound to organic matter in the fly ash samples.     

Determination of arsenic,selenium and mercury in an estuarine sediment standard reference material using flow injection and atomic absorption spectrometry

A flow-injection analysis atomic absorption spectrometric (FIA-AAS) method was developed for the determination of trace amounts of arsenic, selenium and mercury in a proposed estuarine sediment standard reference material (SRM 1646a). The samples were prepared in two manners: a) A wet digestion procedure with HNO₃, H₂SO₄, and HClO₄ using a reflux column and b) A microwave-oven digestion procedure utilizing HNO₃, H₂SO₄, and HCl for As and Se, and HNO₃ for Hg. Microwave-oven digestion provides results comparable to those found by reflux column digestion and reduces the sample preparation time by a factor of 10. The proposed method employing the microwave-oven digestion procedure coupled with FIA-AAS for As and Se, and FIA-CVAAS for Hg, has detection limits of 0.15 ng As/ml, O.17 ng Se/ml and 0.15 ng Hg/ml.On leave from the Defense Metallurgical Research Laboratory, Hyderabad, India     

Determination of selenium in soil by hydride generation AAS

Hydride generation AAS was applied for the determination of total selenium in soil. The influence of various anions and cations present in the sample solution on the generation of selenium hydride was investigated. Special attention was paid to the wet oxidation procedure for the sample dissolution. The proposed procedure involves microwave sample preparation by using a mixture of H₂O₂/HNO₃/H₂SO₄. The accuracy of the procedure was checked by the analysis of the standard reference material Buffalo River Sediment (SRM-2704, NIST). Satisfactory agreement of the results obtained with the values reported was achieved. The detection limit of the procedure was 25 ng Se/g of soil. The relative standard deviation of the measurements varied from 5.5% for SRM-2704 up to 10% for the real soil samples. Received: 20 January 1997 / Revised: 24 February 1997 / Accepted: 1 March 1997     

A double-stage tube furnace—acid-trapping protocol for the pre-concentration of mercury from solid samples for isotopic analysis

High-precision mercury (Hg) stable isotopic analysis requires relatively large amounts of Hg (>10 ng). Consequently, the extraction of Hg from natural samples with low Hg concentrations (<1–20 ng/g) by wet chemistry is challenging. Combustion–trapping techniques have been shown to be an appropriate alternative [1]. Here, we detail a modified off-line Hg pre-concentration protocol that is based on combustion and trapping. Hg in solid samples is thermally reduced and volatilized in a pure O₂ stream using a temperature-programmed combustion furnace. A second furnace, kept at 1,000 °C, decomposes combustion products into H₂O, CO₂, SO₂, etc. The O₂ carrier gas, including combustion products and elemental Hg, is then purged into a 40 % (v/v) acid-trapping solution. The method was optimized by assessing the variations of Hg pre-concentration efficiency and Hg isotopic compositions as a function of acid ratio, gas flow rate, and temperature ramp rate for two certified reference materials of bituminous coals. Acid ratios of 2HNO₃/1HCl (v/v), 25 mL/min O₂ flow rate, and a dynamic temperature ramp rate (15 °C/min for 25–150 and 600–900 °C; 2.5 °C/min for 150–600 °C) were found to give optimal results. Hg step-release experiments indicated that significant Hg isotopic fractionation occurred during sample combustion. However, no systematic dependence of Hg isotopic compositions on Hg recovery (81–102 %) was observed. The tested 340 samples including coal, coal-associated rocks, fly ash, bottom ash, peat, and black shale sediments with Hg concentrations varying from <5 ng/g to 10 μg/g showed that most Hg recoveries were within the acceptable range of 80–120 %. This protocol has the advantages of a short sample processing time (～3.5 h) and limited transfer of residual sample matrix into the Hg trapping solution. This in turn limits matrix interferences on the Hg reduction efficiency of the cold vapor generator used for Hg isotopic analysis.     

Determination of mercury in tuna fish tissue using isotope dilution-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Isotope dilution-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ID-ICP/MS) was applied to determine mercury in living tissue. Microwave digestion method using HNO₃/H₂O₂ media for the dissolution of solid sample was studied. The procedure for accurate determination of total mercury in tuna fish tissue sample by ID-ICP/MS is described. For the method validation, total Hg concentration in tuna fish CRM (BCR CRM 463) was determined by ID-ICP/MS after addition of ²⁰²Hg to CRM followed by acid decomposition of the spiked sample. This method was applied to the determination of Hg in tuna fish CCQM-P39 sample provided by IRMM (Institute for Reference Materials and Measurement, GEEL, Belgium) for the international comparison study.     

Determination of selenium in biological samples by electrochemical preconcentration and atomic absorption spectrometry

Summary For the determination of selenium in biological materials the samples are digested with an HNO₃/H₂SO₄/ V₂O₅ or an HNO₃/HClO₄ mixture. Selenium is then electrolyzed onto a platinum wire, followed by atomic absorption spectrometry with simultaneous electrothermal and flame atomization. Results for the reference materials Bovine Liver and Albacore Tuna are reported (1–3±0.2 ppm Se).

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Selenbestimmung in biologischen Proben durch elektrochemische Anreicherung und Atomabsorptionsspektrometrie

Zusammenfassung Die Proben werden mit HNO₃/H₂SO₄/V₂O₅ oder HNO₃/HClO₄ aufgeschlossen; Se wird elektrolytisch auf einem Platindraht niedergeschlagen und durch AAS mit gleichzeitiger elektrothermischer und Flammen-Atomisierung bestimmt. Ergebnisse werden mitgeteilt für die Analyse von Standardreferenzmaterialien (Bovine Liver und Albacore Tuna, 1–3±0,2 ppm Se).

     

Pressurized wet digestion in open vessels

The High Pressure Asher (HPA-S) was adapted with a Teflon liner for pressurized wet digestion in open vessels. The autoclave was partly filled with water containing 5% (vol/vol) hydrogen peroxide. The digestion vessels dipped partly into the water or were arranged on top of the water by means of a special rack made of titanium or PTFE-coated stainless steel. The HPA-S was closed and pressurized with nitrogen up to 100 bars. The maximum digestion temperature was 250 °C for PFA vessels and 270 °C for quartz vessels. Digestion vessels made of quartz or PFA-Teflon with volumes between 1.5 mL (auto sampler cups) and 50 mL were tested. The maximum sample amount for quartz vessels was 0.5–1.5 g and for PFA vessels 0.2–0.5 g, depending on the material. Higher sample intake may lead to fast reactions with losses of digestion solution. The samples were digested with 5 mL HNO₃ or with 2 mL HNO₃+6 mL H₂O+2 mL H₂O₂. The total digestion time was 90–120 min and 30 min for cooling down to room temperature. Auto sampler cups made of PFA were used as digestion vessels for GFAAS. Sample material (50 mg) was digested with 0.2 mL HNO₃+0.5 mL H₂O+0.2 mL H₂O₂. The analytical data of nine certified reference materials are also within the confidential intervals for volatile elements like mercury, selenium and arsenic. No cross contamination between the digestion vessels could be observed. Due to the high gas pressure, the diffusion rate of volatile species is low and losses of elements by volatilisation could be observed only with diluted nitric acid and vessels with large cross section. In addition, cocoa, walnuts, nicotinic acid, pumpkin seeds, lubrication oil, straw, polyethylene and coal were digested and the TOC values measured. The residual carbon content came to 0.2–10% depending on the sample matrix and amount.     

Determination of As,Cd, Cu,Hg, Mo,Sb, and Se in biological reference materials by radiochemical neutron activation analysis

The elements As, Cd, Cu, Hg, Mo, Sb, and Se were determined in the biological reference materials (RMs) Bowen's Kale, NIST SRM-1577 Bovine Liver, NIST SRM-1549 Milk Powder, and Versieck's 2nd Generation Biological RM Human Serum using two newly developed radiochemical neutron activation analysis (RNAA) procedures. The first is based on sample decomposition in a mixutre of H₂SO₄+HNO₃+H₂O₂ and simultaneous extraction of the elements As, Cd–In, Cu, Mo, and Sb by 0.025M Zn(DDC)₂ in chloroform from 2–4M H₂SO₄ in the presence of 0.01M KI. The second consists of sample decomposition in HNO₃ in teflon bombs heated at 150°C, Hg extraction by 0.01M Ni(DDC)₂ in chloroform from about 1M HNO₃, and Se precipitation by ascorbic acid from about 1M HClO₄. The RNAA procedures were also used for intercomparison analyses of A and P NIST Leaf Materials (NIST candidate SRM-1515 Apple Leaves and NIST SRM-1547 Peach Leaves, respectively), and CZIM Bovine Liver 12-02-01 RM. Very good agreement of results with certified and/or literature values proved the high accuracy of these determinations by the proposed RNAA procedures, even at the sub-ng/g levels.     

Potentiometric Stripping Analysis for Simultaneous Determination of Copper and Lead in Lubricating Oils After Total Digestion in a Focused Microwave-Assisted Oven

The determination of metals in lubricating oil has been used as an important means of preventing components failures, to provide environmental information, and to solve criminal issues. In this study derivative potentiometric stripping analysis (DPSA) was used for the simultaneous determination of copper and lead in lubricating oils of vehicular engines. The samples were completely digested in a focused microwave-assisted oven using a powerful oxidant mixture (HNO₃, H₂SO₄, H₂O₂). The optimized heating program to digest about 1mL of lubricating oil takes 45minutes. The residual carbon content after digestion was below 0.3%m/m for all samples. Copper and lead were also determined by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS), and the results obtained were in good agreement with those obtained by electrochemical measurements. Recoveries of 94–109 and 93–103%, for copper and lead, respectively, were obtained for new and used lubricating oil samples.     

Minimization of volatile nitrogen oxides interference in the determination of arsenic by hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry

In this study emphasis was given to minimize the interference of volatile nitrogen oxides from digestion procedures with nitric acid on the determination of arsenic by hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry (HG AAS). Sulfamic acid (SA) is proposed to minimize this interference by employing three procedures for the digestion of hair in closed systems: conventional and microwave (MW) heating in polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE) vessels and by MW heating in glass vials. Hair samples were digested with H₂SO₄+HNO₃ or HNO₃+H₂O₂ mixtures. Concentrated hydrochloric acid was added for the digestion for the procedure in glass vials. The accuracy of the procedures with PTFE vessels was verified by the spike recoveries of organic (p-aminobenzenearsonic acid and dimethyl arsinic acid, from 92 to 101%) and inorganic (sodium arsenate, from 98 to 102%) arsenic compounds. For the procedure in glass vials the recovery was from 86 to 97% for organic As and from 97 to 102% for inorganic As. The results obtained for a certified hair reference material using the three digestion procedures were well within the 95% confidence interval of the certificate when SA was added to the solutions. However, when SA was not added, recoveries were low and non-reproducible signals and high background levels were observed. Urea, benzoic acid and hydroxylamine hydrochloride were also studied (maximum As recovery of 90% using hydroxylamine hydrochloride) but the best results were obtained with use of SA.     

Study on the PTFE closed-vessel microwave digestion method in food elemental analysis

Summary A closed PTFE vessel microwave digestion method is described for the HNO₃/H₂O₂ digestion of food samples. 0.2–0.3 g of powdered samples are completely digested in 44 ml PTFE digestion vessels by 2 ml of 70% HNO₃ and 1 ml of 30% H₂O₂ within 2 min at 100% full power (500 W). After air-cooling for 10 min in a refrigerator at — 25°C the digestion solution is diluted to 25ml. The total elemental concentrations of Ca, Mg, Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn are determined by sequential ICP-AES. The accuracy of the procedure was tested by analysis of 3 SRMs. The results are in good agreement with certified values.

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Untersuchung zum Mikrowellenaufschluß im geschlossenen PTFE-Gefäß für die Elementanalyse in Lebensmitteln

     

Assessment of three digestion procedures for Zn contents in Pakistani soil by flame atomic absorption spectrometry

Evaluation of three different digestion procedures for accurate determination of elemental concentration in soils was undertaken. The digestion procedures, two leaching and a total dissolution processes were compared for twenty-one soil samples. The soil standard reference materials (SRMs), IAEA Soil-5 and IAEA Soil-7 were analysed for quality control purposes. Zinc (Zn) was analysed using flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). Precise analysis was accomplished in the SRM and soil samples, which was better than 4.7% for leaching and total dissolution procedure. Compared with the elemental concentration in soil samples, HF–HClO₄ procedure achieved greater accuracy, where as HNO₃–H₂O₂ and HNO₃–H₂SO₄–HCl procedures were comparable with slight variation in a few samples.     

Determination of Essential and Toxic Elements in Tropical Fruit by Microwave-Assisted Digestion and Inductively Coupled Plasma–Mass Spectrometry

The concentrations of eight essential (Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Se, V, and Zn) and five toxic elements (Al, As, Cd, Hg, and Pb) were determined in 457 samples of commonly consumed fresh tropical fruit including bananas (Musa acuminata), kiwi (Actinidia deliciosa), mangos (Mangifera indica), and pineapple (Ananas comosus) from supermarkets from Seoul, Busan, Gangneung, Daegu, Daejeon, and Gwangju, South Korea. The samples were digested by microwave-assisted combustion using HNO₃ and H₂O₂ and determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The Hg concentrations were evaluated by furnace-gold amalgamation direct mercury analysis. The techniques were validated by linearity, limits of detection and quantification, precision, recovery, and the analysis of a NIST-1570a spinach leaves certified reference material. The concentrations of essential elements varied considerably among the tropical fruit. Overall, the tropical fruit was higher in Mn (0.027–13.2?µg/g) and Zn (0.514–2.20?µg/g), while lower in Co (0.002–0.005?µg/g) and V (0.001–0.002?µg/g). The concentrations (µg/g) of toxic elements were 0.001 (kiwi) to 0.003 (mango) for As and Cd, 0.0004 (pineapple) to 0.002 (banana) for Hg, and 0.005 (kiwi) to 0.013 (mango) for Pb. The calculated values of estimated dietary intake, target hazard quotients and hazard indices were lower than one and the safety limits established by World Health Organization. The tropical fruits were therefore safe and did not pose any threat to consumers.     

Quecksilberbestimmung in Wasser-, Fisch-, Pflanzen- und sedimentproben mit Hilfe der Atom-Absorptions-Spektroskopie

Zusammenfassung Quecksilber wurde in Flußwasser, Fischen, Pflanzen und Sedimenten durch Atom-Absorptions-Spektroskopie bestimmt. In Wasserproben wurden die Hg-Verbindungen mit H₂SO₄ aufgeschlossen und mit KMnO₄ oxidiert. Nach der Beseitigung des entstandenen MnO₂-Niederschlags bzw. des überschüssigen Permanganats mit HONH₃Cl wurde das Quecksilber mit SnCl₂ reduziert, durch einen Luftstrom in eine Vorlage mit bidest. Wasser+H₂SO₄ +KMnO₄ eingeleitet und damit angereichert. Quecksilber wurde nach Zusatz von SnCl₂ mit Hilfe eines Luftstroms in die Meßzelle eingeleitet und gemessen. Fisch-, Pflanzen- und Sedimentproben wurden mit H₂SO₄+HNO₃ aufgeschlossen und das Hg mit KMnO₄ allein (beim Fisch) oder KMnO₄+K₂S₂O₈ (bei Pflanzen und Sediment) oxidiert. Bei diesen Analysen wurden der MnO₂-Niederschlag und das überschüssige KMnO₄ ebenfalls mit HONH₃Cl beseitigt. Die Bestimmung wurde in einem geschlossenen System durchgeführt. Bei diesem System sind die Nachweisempfindlichkeit und die Reproduzierbarkeit besser als beim offenen System. Der mittlere relative Fehler beträgt 13,7% für Wasser, 1,9% für Fisch, 4,9% für Pflanzen und 5,6% für Sediment. Die Wiederfindung des Quecksilbers beträgt 91–122%.

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Determination of mercury in water, fish, plant and sediment samples by atomic-absorption spectroscopy

Summary Organic and inorganic Hg-compounds in water samples were decomposed with H₂SO₄ +KMnO₄. Precipitated MnO₂ and excess of permanganate were destroyed with HONH₃Cl. Mercury was reduced by SnCl₂ and driven by an air stream into an absorption solution containing KMnO₄ and H₂SO₄. This solution was treated with SnCl₂, and mercury was aerated into the measuring cell. Fish, plant and sediment samples were digested with H₂SO₄ +HNO₃. For the oxidation of all forms of mercury to Hg(II) ions, KMnO₄ was added to the fish samples and KMnO₄+K₂S₂O₈ to the plant and sediment samples. Precipitated MnO₂ and excess of permanganate were destroyed with HONH₃Cl, too. Mercury was determined by using a closed, recirculating air stream. Sensitivity and reproducibility of the closed-system were better than those of the open-system. The coefficient of variation was 13.7% for water, 1.9% for fish, 4.9% for plant and 5.6% for sediment samples. Recovery rate of mercury ranged from 91 to 122%.

     

Accurate and precise reference method for the determination of chromium in high-alloy steel

Methods for determining chromium in high-alloy steels based on potentiometric titration after oxidation of chromium(III) to chromium(VI) with peroxodisulphate were studied using different dissolution procedures, viz., dissolution in HClHNO₃ and fuming with H₂SO₄H₃PO₄, dissolution in HClHNO₃ and fuming with HClO₄, dissolution in HClHNO₃HF in a microwave oven, fusion in sodium peroxide in a zirconium crucible and dissolution in dilute H₂SO₄ and oxidation with H₂O₂. A back-titration was used with dichromate after addition of solid ammonium iron (II) sulphate.The dissolution procedures were tested on 24 certified reference materials (0.01–3.3% C, 10–325% Cr). All procedures except the second gave good results for samples with ? 0.8% C. For samples with ? 0.8% C, the third and fourth procedures gave significantly higher values and better precisions, and gave the best results for all samples. The relative standard deviations were, with few exceptions, below 0.2%.     

Use of fractional factorial design for optimization of digestion procedures followed by multi-element determination of essential and non-essential elements in nuts using ICP-OES technique

Two digestion procedures have been tested on nut samples for application in the determination of essential (Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Zn) and non-essential (Al, Ba, Cd, Pb) elements by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). These included wet digestions with HNO₃/H₂SO₄ and HNO₃/H₂SO₄/H₂O₂. The later one is recommended for better analytes recoveries (relative error < 11%). Two calibrations (aqueous standard and standard addition) procedures were studied and proved that standard addition was preferable for all analytes. Experimental designs for seven factors (HNO₃, H₂SO₄ and H₂O₂ volumes, digestion time, pre-digestion time, temperature of the hot plate and sample weight) were used for optimization of sample digestion procedures. For this purpose Plackett-Burman fractional factorial design, which involve eight experiments was adopted. The factors HNO₃ and H₂O₂ volume, and the digestion time were found to be the most important parameters. The instrumental conditions were also optimized (using peanut matrix rather than aqueous standard solutions) considering radio-frequency (rf) incident power, nebulizer argon gas flow rate and sample uptake flow rate. The analytical performance, such as limits of detection (LOD < 0.74 μg g⁻¹), precision of the overall procedures (relative standard deviation between 2.0 and 8.2%) and accuracy (relative errors between 0.4 and 11%) were assessed statistically to evaluate the developed analytical procedures. The good agreement between measured and certified values for all analytes (relative error <11%) with respect to IAEA-331 (spinach leaves) and IAEA-359 (cabbage) indicates that the developed analytical method is well suited for further studies on the fate of major elements in nuts and possibly similar matrices.     

Selective extraction of Hg(II) from aqueous mineral acid solution containing iodide ions using 2-benzylpyridine in benzene

A method for the selective extraction of mercury has been developed. The extraction of Hg(II) by 2-benzylpyridine (BPy) in benzene from dilute mineral acid solution containing iodide ions has been investigated, and variables such as concentration of acids, iodide and the extractant have been optimized. The optimum conditions for the extraction of Hg(II) by 0.1M BPy/benzene are: 0.01M (HCl, HNO₃, H₂SO₄)+0.01M KI. The distribution coefficients and separation factors of 19 elements relative to Hg(II), have been reported. Effect of anions such as ascorbate, acetate, citrate, oxalate and thiosulfate has also been studied. The method developed could find useful applications in selective extraction of small amounts of mercury from environmental samples.     

Determination of silicon in high purity metals by radiochemical NAA and CPAA

The indicator radionuclide³¹Si produced in neutron and deuteron activation analysis for silicon via the reactions³⁰Si(n,) and³⁰Si(d,p), respectively, is specifically separated from the irradiated sample by distillation as³¹SiF₄. In the case of aluminium, the distillation is carried out from a HF(HNO₃)H₂O₂ medium and in the case of molybdenum, niobium, tantalum, titanium and vanadium from a HF/HNO₃/HBr/H₂SO₄ medium. Using liquid scintillation counting, the achievable detection limits for neutron activation analysis are, depending on the type of the matrix, between 4–50 ng/g, and for the deuteron activation analysis of tantalum the detection limit is 5 ng/g.     

Oxidation of Am(III) and stability of Am(IV) and Am(VI) in mineral acid solutions

The oxidation of americium in HNO₃, H₂SO₄ and HClO₄ solutions by a mixture of potassium persulfate with silver salt in the presence of potassium phosphotungstate has been investigated. The influence of acid and its concentration, of (NH₄)₂S₂O₃, K₁₀P₂W₁₇O₆₁ and silver salt on Am(III) oxidation rate, yield and stability of Am(IV) and Am(VI), has been studied. The complexation of Am(III), Am(IV) and Am(VI) with phosphotungstate ions has been investigated. It has been established that Am(III) and Am(IV) form ML₂ complexes and their apparent stability constants have been estimated. The oxidation mechanism is discussed. A method for preparing of Am(IV) in 0.1–6M HNO₃, O.1–3M H₂SO₄, 0.1–1M HClO₄ solutions is proposed. The oxidation of Am(III) to Am(IV) by KBrO₃ and K₂Cr₂O₇ in HNO₃, H₂SO₄, HClO₄ solutions in the presence of K₁₀P₂W₁₇O₆₁ has been investigated.