Study of chemical modifiers for direct determination of silver in sea water by ETA-AAS with deuterium background correction

Methods for the direct determination of silver in sea water samples by ETA-AAS using different chemical modifiers were studied. The effect of salinity was studied using synthetic sea water of high (72.8 per thousand) and low (34.2 per thousand) salinity, and the results were compared with aqueous standard solutions. The charring temperatures achieved were 800 and 900 degrees C for magnesium nitrate and ammonium dihydrogen phosphate respectively, being 1100 degrees C for palladium nitrate and their mixtures. The best sensitivity obtained in the peak-height measurement mode was achieved by using reduced palladium (limit of detection (LOD) between 0.5 and 1.1 mug l(-1) for an injection volume of 20 mu1) with analytical recoveries close to 100% for synthetic and real sea water samples. The use of ammonium dihydrogen phosphate (LOD of 1.3 mug l(-1) for an injection volume of 20 mu1) produced good recoveries for low salinity; at high salinity an increase of around 25% was obtained, the method being unsuitable for sea water analysis. Finally, an interference study of the major components of sea water was carried out and applied to the analysis of surface sea water from the Galicia coast.     

Comparison of different chemical modifiers for the direct determination of arsenic in sea water by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

A comparative study of different chemical modifiers for the direct determination of arsenic in real and in synthetic sea water samples of high (72.8) and low (34.2) salinity was carried out. The use of lanthanum chloride and magnesium nitrate (LOD=3.0 gl^-1) offers good recoveries for low salinities, while for high salinities an enhancement higher than 200% was obtained, rendering this method unsuitable for sea water samples. The use of silver nitrate (LOD=2.0 gl^-1) produces unfavourable analytical recoveries, around 150 and 300% for synthetic sea water of low and high salinity. Zirconium oxychloride (LOD=1.8 gl^-1) and palladium nitrate alone or combined with magnesium nitrate and reducing agents (LOD=1.1–1.3 gl^-1) produce analytical recoveries close to 100% for all arsenic concentration tried over all salinities; thus, a single calibration curve using aqueous standard solutions may be applied to the analysis of sea water samples over all salinities. Finally, the addition of reducing agents and magnesium nitrate to palladium does not improve the sensitivity.     

Comparative study of magnesium nitrate,palladium nitrate and reduced palladium for the direct determination of mercury in sea water by electrothermal atomization atomic absorption spectrometry

A comparative study of different chemical modifiers in graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry for the direct determination of mercury in sea water samples, in synthetic sea water sample of high (72.8%) and low 34.2%) salinity and in aqueous solutions, was carried out. The use of reduced palladium produces better results. The mixture of palladium nitrate and ascorbic acid, gives the best limit of detection (1.9 gl^–1). The use of reduced palladium and magnesium nitrate produced excellent recoveries (close to 100%) in the whole salinity range for all mercury concentration tested. The use of palladium nitrate alone or combined with magnesium nitrate gave good recoveries with respect to a real sea water sample for low salinities. The interference from the major components of sea water were completely removed by using reduced palladium and magnesium nitrate modifiers. Thus, a single calibration curve with synthetic sea water may be applied to the analysis of sea water samples of widely differing salinities.     

Pyrolytic and non-pyrolytic boron nitride platforms in electrothermal AAS for the determination of cadmium in sea and estuarine water without chemical modification.

The analytical performance of pyrolytic and non-pyrolytic boron nitride (PBN and NBN) platforms, attached to a commercially available graphite tube furnace, in electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS) for Cd was studied. Although the tolerable pyrolysis temperature was 300 degrees C with the conventional pyrolytic graphite platform, it increased to 600 and 950 degrees C with the PBN and NBN platforms, respectively. The lifetime of the ceramic platform was 500 firings. The NBN platform provided an enhanced sensitivity with a better reproducibility than others. Using the NBN platform allowed the LOD, based on the variability of the blank (3sigma), to be 0.1 microg l(-1) within a seawater matrix (20,000 mg NaCl l(-1)) and a constant sensitivity in the range 0-30,000 mg NaCl l(-1). Good recovery in the range of 90-105% was observed for Cd (2.0 microg l(-1)) spiked into sea, estuarine and river water samples using the recommended procedure. This work proposes that using the NBN platform allows the direct monitoring and control of contaminated water for Cd by ETAAS without any chemical modification.     

Determination of tributyltin in toluene extract from sea water by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry with a new matrix modifier

A new matrix modifier composed of calcium and chromium[VI] was proposed for the determination of tributyltin (TBT) in toluene extract from sea water containing sediment by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS). Fourteen inorganic and organic compounds (barium, calcium, chromium[VI], lanthanum, magnesium, nickel, palladium, strontium, calcium-chromium[VI], calcium-strontium, nickel isocaprylate, 5%-, 10%-aqueous solution of ascorbic acid and toluene-saturated solution of ascorbic acid) as a matrix modifier were comparatively studied and a matrix modifier composed from 5 microg of calcium and 1 microg of chromium[VI] was found to give the best performance. The interference effects of co-existing elements in sea water containing sediment (aluminium, iron, magnesium, sodium and strontium) were studied. TBT in eight toluene extracts was determined by GFAAS with the proposed matrix modifier. The relative standard deviation was 3.0% for 63 ng ml(-1) of TBT (n = 11). The recoveries were 88-104%. The characteristic mass was 7 pg. The linearity range was 0-250 ng mg(-1).     

Effectiveness of palladium as a chemical modifier for direct silver and manganese determination in cocaine and heroin by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

Methods for the direct determination of silver and manganese in cocaine and heroin by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry using palladium as chemical modifier have been developed. Cocaine samples, 0.5 g, were dissolved in 2 ml of 35.0% (m/v), HNO(3) diluting to 10 ml with ultrapure water. A comparative study of palladium, magnesium nitrate, palladium-magnesium nitrate and nitric acid used as chemical modifiers was carried out, and it was found that palladium alone is adequate to stabilize silver and manganese at charring temperatures of 1000 and 1300 degrees C respectively. A study was made on the insertion of a cooling step before the atomization step, and this approach was not advantageous. Limits of detection of 2.3 and 6.9 microg kg(-1) were obtained for silver and manganese respectively. The analytical recovery oscillated between 95.9 and 103.6% for silver and between 99.7 and 103.0% for manganese. Finally, a study of some interferences and a study of the precision and analytical recovery of the amount of sample were also carried out.     

Speciation analysis of inorganic arsenic by microchip capillary electrophoresis coupled with hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry

A novel method for speciation analysis of inorganic arsenic was developed by on-line hyphenating microchip capillary electrophoresis (chip-CE) with hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry (HG-AFS). Baseline separation of As(III) and As(V) was achieved within 54 s by the chip-CE in a 90 mm long channel at 2500 V using a mixture of 25 mmol l(-1) H3BO3 and 0.4 mmol l(-1) CTAB (pH 8.9) as electrolyte buffer. The precisions (RSD, n=5) ranged from 1.9 to 1.4% for migration time, 2.1 to 2.7% for peak area, and 1.8 to 2.3% for peak height for the two arsenic species at 3.0 mg l(-1) (as As) level. The detection limits (3sigma) for As(III) and As(V) based on peak height measurement were 76 and 112 microg l(-1) (as As), respectively. The recoveries of the spikes (1 mg l(-1) (as As) of As(III) and As(V)) in four locally collected water samples ranged from 93.7 to 106%.     

Spectrophotometric determination of arsenic in water samples based on micro particle formation of ethyl violet-molybdoarsenate.

In this study, a simple and sensitive method for the determination of arsenic in water samples was developed. The method is based on the formation of micro particles of Ethyl Violet and molybdoarsenate, which gives an apparently homogeneous blue color to the solution. The absorption of the excess dye gradually decreases due to its conversion to a colorless carbinol species under strongly acidic conditions. Consequently, the sufficiently low reagent blank enables the spectrophotometric determination of arsenic with the detection limit of 4 microg l(-1). The coefficient of variation for the spectrophotometry at 50 microg l(-1) was 3.5% (n = 5). Furthermore, it is possible to detect concentrations as low as 10 microg l(-1) of arsenic visually. Our method will be useful as a simple, rapid, and cost-effective field test of arsenic, requiring no complex apparatus or skilled laboratory support.     

On the re-assessment of the optimum conditions for the determination of platinum, palladium and rhodium in environmental samples by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry and microwave digestion

The experimental conditions for the determination of platinum, palladium and rhodium by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) are re-assessed. A certified material (BCR-723) was used as a working sample and analyzed using various extraction and atomization procedures in order to find the optimal experimental conditions that enable the quantitative and reproducible detection of platinum, palladium and rhodium in environmental matrices. Evidently, literature observations regarding the atomization conditions were proven fairly adequate. However, the provision of the optimum extraction conditions revealed several parameters that lie behind the reported uncertainties. The appropriate combination between extraction conditions and atomization programs afforded a considerable improvement in the recoveries and analytical features of platinum, palladium and rhodium determination with GFAAS. Cross-examination of the analytical data with various CRMs (certified reference materials) was used to validate the robustness of the method in heterogeneous matrices bearing different element levels. Under the optimum experimental conditions the method permits the determination at concentrations as low as (LOD(3S/N)) 1.9 ng g(-1), 0.45 ng g(-1) and 0.6 ng g(-1) for Pt, Pd and Rh, respectively affording recoveries in the range of 93-101%. The method was successfully applied to the assessment of Pt, Pd and Rh accumulation in real road dust and soil samples in Greece.     

Preparation and characterization of polyalkene membranes modified with four different ion-exchange groups by radiation-induced graft polymerization

An ion chromatographic method was developed for the determination of nine inorganic and organic acid anions at sub- to low-microg/l levels in power plant water samples. In this method, samples were injected using a large-volume direct injection technique, the analyte anions were separated on a hydroxide-selective anion-exchange column using high-purity hydroxide eluents generated by an on-line electrolytic eluent generator and detected using the suppressed conductivity detection method. The method performance was evaluated by analyzing synthetic water samples containing additives encountered in the power plant water samples and four water samples from a fossil fuel power plant. The relative standard deviations of retention times of analyte ions separated on the hydroxide-selective anion-exchange column were less than 0.4%. The recoveries of analyte ions spiked into the synthetic water samples at concentrations of 0.13-1.0 microg/l were in the range of 70-120%. The method detection limits for analyte ions in deionized water were 0.0099, 0.0056, 0.019, 0.057, 0.0084, 0.023, 0.067, 0.037, and 0.079 microg/l for fluoride, acetate, formate, chloride, nitrite, sulfate, bromide, nitrate, and phosphate, respectively.     

Determination of chlorobenzenes in water by drop-based liquid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography-electron capture detection

A drop-based liquid phase microextraction and gas chromatographic-electron capture detection (GC-ECD) method was described for the determination of chlorobenzenes including chlorobenzene, 1,2-dichlorobenzene, 1,3-dichlorobenzene, 1,4-dichlorobenzene and 1,2,3-trichlorobenzene in 5 ml of water. The method used 2 microl of n-hexane as extraction solvent, 5 min extraction time, a stirring rate of 600 rpm and sample ionic strength of 3 M maintained with sodium chloride at 25 degrees C (ambient temperature). The limits of detection (LODs) ranged from 0.004 microg l(-1) (for 1,3-dichlorobenzene) to 0.008 microg l(-1) (for monochlorobenzene). The dynamic linear range for all investigated chlorobenzenes was 1-50 microg l(-1). Recoveries of chlorobenzenes from fortified distilled water are over 90% for three different fortification levels (5, 15 and 45 microg l(-1)) and relative standard deviations of the recoveries are below 6%. Analysis of fortified (5 microg l(-1)) real water samples revealed that matrices had no adverse effect on extraction efficiency of proposed method. The recovery of fortified real water samples was from 90 to 94% with relative standard deviations below 6%.     

Determination of trace concentrations of hexavalent chromium

A simple and sensitive solvent extraction-atomic spectrometric technique has been developed for the determination of hexavalent chromium in fresh and saline waters. The technique is based on the reaction of chromium with diphenylcarbazide. The method has been tested on a variety of water samples over an analytical range of 0-2 microg l(-1). A limit of detection of 0.024 microg l(-1) was achieved. Spiking recoveries in the range 87-115% were achieved in river water, drinking water and marine waters.     

Comparison of modifiers for determination of arsenic, antimony and selenium by atomic absorption spectrometry with atomization in graphite tube or hydride generation and in-situ preconcentration in graphite tube

The study was performed to compare the effect of magnesium modifier (magnesium nitrate) with that of other modifiers (palladium nitrate and nickel nitrate) in determination of arsenic, antimony and selenium by atomic absorption spectroscopy with atomization in a graphite tube, with generation of hydrides and in situ preconcentration in a graphite tube. The assumed criterion of a modifier performance was the magnitude of the analytical signal. It was found that in determinations with atomization in a graphite furnace the effects of all these modifiers were comparable, while in those with hydride generation and in situ preconcentration in a graphite tube the magnesium modifier showed poorer performance (25% decrease of the analytical signal). In determinations of arsenic and selenium the analytical signal obtained with magnesium salt as a modifier was comparable with those obtained in the presence of all other modifiers.     

Optimization of nonequilibrium liquid-phase microextraction for the determination of nitrobenzenes in aqueous samples by gas chromatography-electron capture detection.

In the present work, a novel method for the determination of nitrobenzenes in water has been described. It is based on nonequilibrium liquid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography-electron capture detection (GC-ECD). Extraction conditions such as solvent selection, organic solvent dropsize, stirring rate, content of NaCl and extraction time were found to have significant influence on extraction efficiency. The optimized conditions were 1.5 microl toluene and 20 min extraction time at 400 rpm stirring rate without NaCl addition. The linear range was 0.1 - 50 microg l(-1) for most nitrobenzenes. The limits of detection (LODs) ranged from 0.02 microg l(-1) (for 2.6-DNT) to 0.4 microg l(-1) (for NB); and relative standard deviations (RSD) for most of the nitrobenzenes at the 10 microg l(-1) level, except for 2,6-DNT in 3 microg l(-1), were below 10%. Natural samples collected from Miyun Reservoir and tap water samples from a laboratory were successfully analyzed using the proposed method, but none of the analytes were detected. The relative recoveries of spiked water samples (at the 10 microg l(-1) level except for 2,6-DNT in 3 microg l(-1)) were from 82.6 to 118.7%.     

Disposable screen-printed electrode coupled with recombinant Drosophila melanogaster acetylcholinesterase and multiwalled carbon nanotubes for rapid detection of pesticides

Recombinant Drosophila melanogaster acetylcholinesterase (R-DmAChE), multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), and Prussian blue have been combined for development of a three-electrode biosensor with more rapid responses and higher stability than in our previous study. A new disposable screen-printed electrode (SPE) was developed for rapid detection of organophosphate and carbamate pesticides. After optimization, 10 microg MWCNT and 5 microL enzyme immobilization solution consisting of 0.2% glutaraldehyde, 0.1% Nafion, 0.2% bovine serum albumin, 0.1 g/L MWCNT, and 1.5 mU R-DmAChE were fixed on each of the R-DmAChE/MWCNT SPEs. The LOD of this biosensor was 0.5 microg/L for pesticide standards of dichlorvos (DDV) and carbofuran. The performance of this biosensor was tested for vegetable and water samples at various spiked levels, and good stability and sensitivity were found. The obtained recoveries were from 82.6 to 110.5% for DDV at levels of 0.5-5 microg/L and 73.4 to 118.4% for carbofuran at 1-10 microg/L in lake and sea water samples, demonstrating that the proposed approach is an alternative means for rapid detection of pesticide residues and contaminants in food safety and environmental monitoring.     

Determination of methyl tert.-butyl ether and tert.-butyl alcohol in seawater samples using purge-and-trap enrichment coupled to gas chromatography with atomic emission and mass spectrometric detection

A rapid and simple analytical method has been established for the determination of methyl tert.-butyl ether (MTBE) and tert.-butyl alcohol (TBA), in seawater. The method involves purge-and-trap enrichment followed by gas chromatographic (GC) determination. Two different detection systems have been compared: atomic emission detection (AED) and MS (selected ion monitoring mode). Validation parameters and possible matrix effects have been evaluated. The linearity and analytical precision was good with both methods, but limits of detection reached by AED (10 microg l(-1)) were not low enough to evaluate current environmental concentrations. GC-MS detection presented much better sensitivity [limits of detection (LODs) of 0.04 microg l(-1) for MTBE and 0.09 microg l(-1) for TBA] and selectivity, providing a more reliable determination. The analysis of samples collected from various marinas in the south of Spain (Almería and Málaga) showed, in all cases, detectable concentrations of MTBE that ranged from below LOD to 1842 microg l(-1), depending on the sampling point and time. TBA was also detected in some cases, with concentration levels that ranged from 400 to 600 microg l(-1). These preliminary results should be followed by monitoring programs in coastal waters, in order to establish real levels of presence of MTBE in our coasts and its possible effect on the marine environment.     

Trace-level determination of triazines and several degradation products in environmental waters by disk solid-phase extraction and micellar electrokinetic chromatography

An analytical method combining disk solid-phase extraction with micellar electrokinetic chromatography has been developed for the determination of atrazine, simazine, hydroxyatrazine, deisopropylatrazine, deethylatrazine, propazine and prometryn in water samples. The influence of the buffer and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) concentration, pH and organic modifier on the separation has been studied. Baseline separation of the seven triazines was achieved under the following conditions: 10 mM borate buffer, 60 mM SDS, 20% methanol and pH 9.2. C18-bonded silica and poly(styrene-divinylbenzene) (PS-DVB) disks were evaluated for solid-phase extraction of the selected pesticides (11 of water sample). Using two PS-DVB disks, quantitative recoveries were obtained for all pesticides tested. The method was successfully applied for the determination of the seven triazines in drinking and well water at the 0.1 microg l(-1) and 0.5 microg l(-1) concentration levels, respectively. The detection limits for these analytes using the proposed analytical method were within the 0.02-0.06 microg l(-1) range in drinking water and the 0.06-0.30 microg l(-1) range in well water.     

Direct Determination of Arsenic in Beet Sugar Molasses Using Nickel as Chemical Modifier by Electrothermal Atomic Absorption Spectrommetry

A simple electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometric (ETAAS) method is described for direct determination of arsenic in sugar beet molasses samples. Pyrolytic graphite tubes were used as atomizers. The compression between modifiers such as nickel nitrate, palladium nitrate and the mixture of palladium and magnesium nitrate were performed and nickel nitrate selected as the best chemical modifier. The effects of pyrolysis and atomization temperature were also studied and the pyrolysis temperature of 900 °C and atomization temperature of 2300 °C have been chosen for temperature program. The detection limit of the method was 1 ng/mL As in sugar beet molasses samples. The relative standard deviation for ten determination of a spiked sample with concentration of 50 ng/mL As was 2.4%. The accuracy of the method was confirmed by the analysis of spiked samples. The linear rang of calibration is in the range of 1‐100 ng/mL of arsenic.     

Direct sample introduction of wines in graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry for the simultaneous determination of arsenic, cadmium, copper and lead content

A multi-element graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) method was elaborated for the simultaneous determination of As, Cd, Cu, and Pb in wine samples of various sugar contents using the transversally heated graphite atomizer (THGA) with end-capped tubes and integrated graphite platforms (IGPs). For comparative GFAAS analyses, direct injection (i.e., dispensing the sample onto the IGP) and digestion-based (i.e., adding oxidizing agents, such as HNO(3) and/or H(2)O(2) to the sample solutions) methods were optimized with the application of chemical modifiers. The mixture of 5 microg Pd (applied as nitrate) plus 3 microg Mg(NO(3))(2) chemical modifier was proven to be optimal for the present set of analytes and matrix, it allowing the optimal 600 degrees C pyrolysis and 2200 degrees C atomization temperatures, respectively. The IGP of the THGA was pre-heated at 70 degrees C to prevent the sputtering and/or foaming of sample solutions with a high organic content, dispensed together with the modifier solution, which method also improved the reproducibility of the determinations. With the digestion-based method, the recovery ranged between 87 and 122%, while with the direct injection method it was between 96 and 102% for Cd, Cu, and Pb, whereas a lower, compromise recovery of 45-85% was realized for As. The detection limits (LODs) were found to be 5.0, 0.03, 1.2, and 0.8 microg l(-1) for As, Cd, Cu, and Pb, respectively. The characteristic mass (m(0)) data were 24 pg As, 1.3 pg Cd, 13 pg Cu, and 35 pg Pb. The upper limits of the linear calibration range were 100, 2, 100, and 200 microg l(-1) for As, Cd, Cu, and Pb, respectively. The precisions were not worse than 4.8, 3.1, 3.7, and 2.3% for As, Cd, Cu, and Pb, respectively. For arsenic, a higher amount of the modifier (e.g., 20 microg Pd plus 12 microg Mg(NO(3))(2)) could be recommended to overcome the interference from the presence of sulphate and phosphate in wines. Although this method increased the sensitivity for As (m(0)=20 pg), it also enhanced the background noise, thus only a slight improvement in the LOD of As (3.9 microg l(-1)) was realized. For the 35 red and white wine samples studied, the highest metal contents were observed for Cu ranging from 20 to 640 microg l(-1) (average: 148 microg l(-1)), followed by Pb from 6 to 90 microg l(-1) (average: 32.3 microg l(-1)), and Cd from 0.05 to 16.5 microg l(-1) (average: 1.06 microg l(-1)), whereas the As content was below the LOD. This wide fluctuation in the trace metal content could be associated with the origin of wines from various regions (i.e., different trace metal level and/or quality of soil, and/or anthropogenic impact), and with diverse materials (e.g., additives and containers) involved in the wine production processes. The Cu content of wine samples was significantly correlated with Pb, whereas its weak anti-correlation was found with Cd. Interestingly, the level of Pb was anti-correlated with the year of production of the wines. This is likely due to the gradual decrease in the Pb content of soils of vineyards by time, which certainly causes less Pb-uptake of the grape plant, thus a decrease in the Pb content of wines as well.     

Determination of nitrate esters in water samples Comparison of efficiency of solid-phase extraction and solid-phase microextraction

This paper deals with comparison of efficiency of extraction techniques (solid-phase extraction, SPE and solid-phase microextraction, SPME) used for extraction of nitrate esters (ethyleneglycoldinitrate, EGDN and nitroglycerin, NG), representing the first step of the method of quantitative determination of trace concentrations of nitrate esters in water samples. EGDN and NG are subsequently determined by means of high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection (HPLC-UV). Optimization of SPE and SPME conditions was carried out using model water samples. Seven SPE cartridges were tested and the conditions were optimized (type of sorbent, type and volume of solvent to be used as eluent). For both nitrate esters the limit of detection (LOD) and the limit of quantification (LOQ) obtained using SPE/HPLC-UV were 0.23 microg mL(-1) and 0.70 microg mL(-1), respectively. Optimization of SPME conditions: type of SPME fibre (four fibres were tested), type and time of sorption/desorption, temperature of sorption. PDMS/DVB (polydimethylsiloxane/divinylbenzene) fibre coating proved to be suitable for extraction of EGDN and NG. For this fibre the LOD and the LOQ for both nitrate esters were 0.16 microg mL(-1) and 0.50 microg mL(-1), respectively. Optimized methods SPE/HPLC-UV and SPME/HPLC-UV were then used for quantitative determination of nitrate esters content in real water samples from the production of EGDN and NG.