Determination of arsenic species in water, soils and plants

Ion chromatographic separation coupled with ICP-MS was used to determine arsenic species in plant and soil extracts. A scheme for growth, harvesting, sample pre-treatment and analysis was developed for the arsenic species to enable determination. Preliminary results obtained with ten herb plants grown on arsenic-contaminated soil compared to non-contaminated soil show a heterogeneous pattern of accumulation rate, metabolization and detoxification mechanisms in monocots and dicots. Arsenite appears to be the major component in plants with good growth. Organic arsenic species were even detected at very low concentrations (< 150 microg kg(-1) (dry mass)).     

Determination of inorganic and methylated arsenic species in marine organisms and sediments

The determination of inorganic arsenic, monomethylarsenic and dimethylarsenic in marine organisms and estuarine sediments is described. The arsenic species are isolated by solvent extraction, separated by ion-exchange chromatography and selectively determined by aisine generation. Recoveries of spikes of 5 and 10 μg of arsenic taken through the whole procedure were 92–96%. Typical results obtained in a study of the forms of arsenic in several species of macroalgae, tissues of Mercenaria mercenaria and estuarine sediments are given.     

The methylation of arsenic in marine sediments

Laboratory studies have shown that microorganisms present in both natural marine sediments and sediments contaminated with mine-tailings are capable of methylating arsenic under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Incubation of sediments with culture media produced volatile arsines [including AsH₃, (CH₃)AsH₂, and (CH₃)₃As] as well as the methylarsenic(V) compounds (CH₃)_nAs(O) (OH)_3?n (n = 1, 2, 3). The concentration of the arsines increased and then decreased in a growth and decay pattern reminiscent of the methylation and demethylation of mercury. Thus, arsenic speciation varied with time, being controlled by the biochemical activity of the dominant microbe(s) at the time of sampling, and changing in response to the ecological succession within the microbial community. The analysis of the interstitial waters of sediments collected from several British Columbia (Canada) coastal sites gave results that were consistent with the culture experiments, in that the methylarsenicals were ubiquitous, but present only in small amounts. It is estimated that methylarsenic(V) species account for less than 1% of the arsenic present in porewaters. The actual proportion was dependent on a number of factors but, contrary to prevailing viewpoints, there was no relationship to the organic content of the sediments, nor did methylation occur only in the presence of high arsenic concentrations. Instead, all of the evidence was consistent with in situ microbial methylation and demethylation processes that are similar to the arsenic transformations that occur in soil ecosystems. The results are discussed in terms of the cycling of arsenic in the marine environment and within the marine food web.     

Modes of137Cs desorption from marine sediments by sea water

Sea water is observed to be a good desorbing agent for¹³⁷Cs from marine sediments. Investigations on the sites of¹³⁷Cs binding and their abundance by desorption over extended periods indicated that, whatever the time of contact of sorption,¹³⁷Cs has three modes of desorption: fast component with desorption half-time of 30–50 min, medium component with desorption half-time of 25–50 h and slow component with desorption half-time of 31–112 days. These are expected to be sites of ion exchange, slower exchange and trapped Cs in the clay mineral layer lattices.     

The spectrophotometric determination of arsenic in sea water,potable water and effluents

Procedures are described for the determination of arsenic in sea water, potable waters and effluents. The sample is treated with sodium borohydride added at a controlled rate. The arsine evolved is absorbed in a solution of iodine and the resultant arsenate ion is determined photometrically by a molybdenum blue method. The time required for a complete analysis is about 90 min, but of this only 15 min is operator time. For sea water the range, standard deviation, and detection limit are 1–4 μgl^-1, 1.4 % and O.14 μg l^-1, respectively; for potable waters they are 0–800 μg l^-1, about 1 % (at 20μg l^-1 level) and 0.5μg l^-1, respectively. Silver and copper cause serious interference at levels of 0.5 mgl^-1, and nickel, cadmium and bismuth interfere at concentrations of a few tens of mg l^-1; however, these elements can be removed either by preliminary extraction with a solution of dithizone in chloroform or by ion exchange. Arsenic present in organo-arsenic compounds is not directly determinable, but can be rendered reactive either by photolysis with ultraviolet radiation or by oxidation with permanganate or nitric—sulphuric acid mixture. Arsenic(V) can be determined separately from total inorganic arsenic after extracting arsenic(III) as its pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate into chloroform.     

The determination of vanadium in sea and natural waters,biological materials and silicate sediments and rocks

Vanadium was concentrated from sea and natural waters by coprecipitation with iron (III) hydroxide, and separated from iron and other elements by ion exchange, using hydrogen peroxide as a very selective eluting agent. The element was determined photometrically with diaminobenzidine. The ion-exchange process was also used to separate vanadium from other elements in the analysis of silicate rocks and marine plants. Coefficients of variation of 2.8%, 1.3% and 2.5% were found for the determination of the element in sea water, marine sediments and marine plants at levels of 1.8 μg/l, 57 μg/g and 2.2 μg/g, respectively. The U.S. Geological Survey standard granite GI was found to contain 17.2±0.9μg V/g.     

A routine method for the determination of arsenic in plants, sediments and natural waters

Coprecipitation with molybdenum sulphide in 2 M hydrochloric acid solution is proposed for the recovery of microgram amounts of arsenic from solutions prepared by ashing plants and sediments, and from natural waters. After dissolution of the sulphide precipitate, arsenic is determined photometrically by a molybdenum blue method. The overall recovery for the procedure is 99%. Arsenic was determined in solutions of plant ash at the 2-μg As level with a coefficient of variation of 0.6%.     

Determination of heavy metals in sea water and in marine organisms by graphite furnace AAS

Summary This paper is a plea for a reference material containing extremely low concentrations of Pb and Cd. A reasoning is given by a historical overview on the main topics of pollution research in relation to those metals. Emphasis has changed from toxicological tests (with high concentrations) over hot spots in the environment (certain organisms and organs, such as kidney and liver, showing significantly elevated concentrations) to mechanisms of transport and modelling. That development has been accompanied and promoted by methodological improvement. Those concentrations, which have to be determined with a sufficiently high precision are now in the lower background range. A proper standard material for such purpose could be fish muscle which, over and above, could be spiked, if necessary, for measurements in a higher concentration range.

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Bestimmung von Schwermetallen in Meerwasser und marinen Organismen mit Hilfe der Graphitofen-AASXXII. Fischmuskel an Stelle von Leber und Algen als Referenzmaterial für Blei- und Cadmiumbestimmungen

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Part XXI. Cadmium determination in coastal water samples from the German Bight (1985) Vom Wasser 64:53–68     

Determination of sulphur in silicate and carbonate rocks by wavelength dispersive XRF

Summary A method has been developed for the determination of sulphur in geological materials within the concentration range 0.003–3%. For samples with differing matrices such as geological materials, the fusion method should be employed for X-ray fluorescence flux mixture analysis. The sample is heated with the Li₂B₄O₇ and LiNO₃ (15) in a Pt-Au crucible to 750° C. It has been experimentally verified that the slow heating of the sample in an electric furnace and the presence of an oxidizing agent allows a quantitative binding of all sulphur so that it does not evaporate during subsequent melting of the sample. The glass disc prepared in this way serves not only for the determination of sulphur but also for that of the other major elements. The relative standard deviation of the newly developed method of 4% and the limit of detection 0.003% suffice for the reliable analysis of sulphur in geological materials.

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Schwefelbestimmung in Silicat- und Carbonatgesteinen mit Hilfe der wellenlängendispersiven Röntgenfluorescenzanalyse

Zusammenfassung Das Verfahren zur Schwefelbestimmung in geologischen Materialien wurde für einen Bereich von 0,003 bis 3% ausgearbeitet. Angesichts der verschiedenartigen Matrix wird ein Aufschlußverfahren empfohlen, bei dem die Probe mit einem Gemisch von Li₂B₄O₇ und LiNO₃ (15) in einem Pt/Au-Tiegel bei 750° C erhitzt wird. Durch langsames Aufheizen und durch die Gegenwart eines Oxidationsmittels wird der Schwefel quantitativ gebunden, so daß er während des Schmelzvorganges nicht verdampfen kann. Die so hergestellte Schmelztablette dient neben der Schwefelbestimmung auch zur Bestimmung der übrigen Hauptbestandteile. Die Standardabweichung der Methode beträgt 4%, die Nachweisgrenze liegt bei 0,003%.

     

Determination of arsenic in sea water by sorbent extraction with hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry

A rapid and sensitive sorbent extraction hydride generation-flow injection analysis atomic absorption spectrometric (HG-FIAS-AAS) method is described for the determination of As(III) and As(V) based upon online preconcentration on a microcolumn packed with activated alumina. In the present procedure these arsenicals are complexed with quinolin-8-ol-5-sulphonic acid from neutral solutions in the flow injection system and adsorbed on the column. The preconcentrated species are eluted with 10% HCl, mixed with 0.5% sodium borohydride and carried to the HG-FIAS cell with a carrier gas flow rate of 75 ml min(-1). The retention efficiency is found to be better than 98% with sensitivity enhancement of 12 and 10 for As(III) and As(V), respectively, for a 20 s preconcentration period. The respective detection limits are 0.05 and 2 ng ml(-1) for As(III) and As(V). The throughput of the samples is found to be 60 h(-1), with a loading time of 20 s. The method has been applied to sea water samples.     

Influence of major cations of sea water on the desorption of137Cs from marine sediments

Desorption studies of¹³⁷Cs from marine sediments by artificial sea water and artificial sea water devoid of individual major cations such as Na, K, Ca, Mg and Sr indicated that only Na and K were effective in the desorption of¹³⁷Cs. Studies with various ionic strengths ranginf from 0.01 to 1.6M KCl and NaCl solutions showed that KCl desorbs constantly about 45%¹³⁷Cs at and above an ionic strength of 0.1. In case of NaCl, the percent desorption increases linearly with ionic strength. The difference in desorption by K and Na is attributed to the contraction of the clay mineral layers by K ion and expansion of the layers by Na ion.     

The determination of selenium in sea water,silicates and marine organisms

Spectrophotometric procedures are described for the determination of selenium in sea water, silicates (especially marine sediments) and marine organisms. Coprecipitation with iron(III) hydroxide at pH 4–6 is used to concentrate selenium and to separate it from many of the commoner elements. Separation from iron and other cations is achieved by ion exchange. Selenium is determined photometrically with diaminobenzidine. Isotope dilution with selenium-75 is used to correct results for the small losses occurring during the analysis. Silicates can be decomposed without loss of selenium by means of a mixture of hydrofluoric and nitric acids. The method of Cummins et al., with sulphuric and perchloric acids in presence of molybdate ion, is highly satisfactory for the decomposition of bio-materials. For sea water, which contains ca. 0.4–0.5 <mg Se/l, a standard deviation of 0.03 μg/l was obtained. A silicate sediment and a sea weed containing ca. 1.5 μg Se/g and 0.8 μg Se/g respectively gave coefficients of variation of 8.0% and 4.7%. The U.S. Geological Survey standard granite G1 was found to contain 2.5 ± 0.1 μg Se/g.     

Determination of heavy metals in sea water and in marine organisms by flameless atomic absorption spectrophotometry

Summary An ultraquick light-beam oscillograph has been used to track the growing and destruction of the atomic cloud in a graphite tube atomizer. In view of the results obtained it was stated that the analytical signal is mainly determined by the stepwise growing of the atomic cloud and its simultaneous destruction by thermal expansion of the inert gas from the tube. Thermodiffusion and recondensation seem to be much slower processes. The dependence of the analytical signal on the settings of the atomizer or the presence of matrix components and on thermal ballast like the L'vov platform is discussed in view of the above thesis. Finally, some proposals are made to overcome the matrix effects by separating the atomization process from the heating and thermal expansion of the surrounding inert gas. For this purpose atomizers with two separate electric current circuits are recommended.

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Bestimmung von Schwermetallen im Meerwasser und in marinen Organismen durch flammenlose AtomabsorptionsspektralphotometrieXV. Matrixeffekte in Graphitrohr-Atomisatoren und Wege zu ihrer Überwindung

Zusammenfassung Ein schneller Lichtpunktschreiber wurde eingesetzt, um das Entstehen und den Abbau der Atomwolke in einem Graphitrohr-Atomisator zu verfolgen. Aufgrund der erhaltenen Ergebnisse wird geschlossen, daß das analytische Signal im wesentlichen durch das allmähliche Wachsen der Atomwolke und deren gleichzeitigen Abbau infolge thermischer Ausdehnung des Inertgases im Rohr bestimmt wird. Thermodiffusion und Rekondensation verlaufen offenbar langsamer. Die Abhängigkeit des analytischen Signals von den Geräteeinstellungen, von der Gegenwart bestimmter Matrixkomponenten und von thermischem Ballast wie der L'vov-Plattform wird im Lichte der o.a. These diskutiert. Schließlich werden einige Wege zur Behebung der Matrixabhängigkeit vorgeschlagen. Sie zielen auf eine möglichst weitgehende Trennung der eigentlichen Atomisierung vom Erhitzen und Sichausdehnen des umgebenen Inertgases. Hierzu werden Atomisatoren mit zwei getrennten elektrischen Heizkreisen vorgeschlagen.

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XIV. Mitt. Fresenius Z Anal Chem (1982) 310:254–256

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Presented at the Colloquium Spurenanalytik, Konstanz, 7.–9.4. 1981     

Determination of heavy metals in sea water and in marine organisms by flameless atomic absorption spectrophotometry

Summary This publication is a part of a series in which the author describes a set of methods for the determination of cadmium in environmental samples by means of flameless AAS. Common properties of these methods are their miniaturization and standardization. These have been attained by the utmost reduction of the number of steps and by their simplification. The method described in this publication consists of an acid digestion procedure followed by neutralization, extraction, and flameless AAS measurement. The main characteristics are: digestion takes place in small 1.5 ml tubes of quartz, polyvinyldifluoride or polypropylene. Neutralization is not performed by titration but only by an excess of saturated NaHCO₃ solution. Extraction results are independent of pH in the region to be expected. Extraction is carried out by a (stable) solution of APDC in CCl₄. The organic extract is also stable for at least 16h. Precision of the method lies in the range of 8.4%, at a concentration of 18.9 ng Cd g^–1; sensitivity is at least in the range of 1.2 ng Cd g^–1. The latter can be increased, if necessary, by a several-step extraction procedure.Teil VIII: Z. Lebensm.-Unters. Forsch. 168, 193-194 (1979)     

Determination of heavy metals in sea water and in marine organisms by flameless atomic absorption spectrophotometry

Summary This paper presents results of an intercalibration of cadmium determination by means of flameless AAS in biological materials from toxicological experiments. Furthermore, the philosophy of this kind of investigation is discussed in some detail. The goal and the result of this investigation was a correspondence of the measurement results within an acceptable range. Contamination during further handling has been identified as the main reason for severe deviations. The authors made measurements in the labs of several colleagues. The equipment itself did not produce individual variations. Repeated intercomparison after elimination of identified systematic errors showed sufficient correspondence of the results.Teil XII: Fresenius Z. Anal. Chem.301, 294–299 (1980)     

Determination of dissolved hexavalent chromium in river water, sea water and waste water

Summary A simple and reliable method for the determination of dissolved hexavalent chromium in aquatic systems is described. Chromium(VI) is quantitatively coprecipitated with lead sulfate from weakly acidic (pH 3.5) sample solutions. It is determined by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy at 357.9 nm. The detection limit of the method is 0.3 g/l at a 95% confidence level. Relatively high concentrations of chromium(III) do not interfere in the determination of hexavalent chromium. High chloride (> 6 g/l) or sulfate (> 800 mg/l) concentrations cause a significant decrease in the Cr(VI) recoveries. These interferences are mutually influenced.The sulfate interference is reduced, but not eliminated in the presence of high chloride concentrations, while chloride interferences are eliminated in the presence of a sufficient sulfate concentration in the original sample. Chromium(VI) is recovered quantitatively from river water and effluent samples, but its recovery from sea water is incomplete (83%), due to interferences by sulfate during the coprecipitation procedure.

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Bestimmung von gelöstem Chrom(VI) in Fluß-, Meer- und Abwasser

Zusammenfassung Eine einfache und zuverlässige Methode zur Chrom(VI)-bestimmung in wäßrigen Systemen wurde ausgearbeitet. Dabei wird Chrom(VI) aus schwach saurer Lösung (pH 3,5) mit Bleisulfat mitgefällt und mit Hilfe der Graphitofen-AAS bei 357,9 nm bestimmt. Die Nachweisgrenze liegt bei 0,3 g/l bei 95% Vertrauensbereich. Relativ hohe Konzentrationen an Chrom(III) stören nicht. Hohe Gehalte an Chlorid (> 6 g/l) oder Sulfat (> 800 mg/l) können zu beträchtlichen Minderbefunden an Cr(VI) führen. Diese Störungen beeinflussen sich gegenseitig. So wird die Störung durch Sulfat in Gegenwart großer Chloridmengen herabgesetzt, aber nicht ganz eliminiert, während die Chloridstörung durch genügend Sulfat beseitigt wird. Chrom(VI) konnte aus Fluß- und Abwasser quantitativ wiedergefunden werden, aus Meerwasser nur zu 83% (wegen der Störung durch Sulfat bei der Mitfällung).