Sequential spectrophotometric determination of inorganic arsenic species by hydride generation from selective medium reactions and colour bleaching of permanganate

A simple spectrophotometric method is presented for the sequential determination of inorganic arsenic (As) species in one sample. It is based on the sequential arsine generation from As(III) and As(V) using selective medium reactions, collection of the arsine generated in an absorbing solution containing permanganate and ethanol at 5 °C and subsequent reduction of permanganate by arsine. The decrease in permanganate absorbance at 524.2 nm is monitored for As determination. The acetic acid/sodium acetate and HCl mediums were used for selective arsine generation from As(III) and remaining As(V) in one solution, respectively. The effect of interferences and their possible mechanisms were discussed. Interferences from transition metal ions were removed by using a Chelex 100 resin. Under optimized conditions, the established method is applicable to the determination of 3-30 μg of each arsenic species. Good recoveries (96-102%) of spiked artificial sea water, tap water and standard mixtures of As(III) and As(V) were also found. The method is simple, accurate, precise and environmental friendly.     

Determination of arsenic and antimony in milk by hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry

A highly sensitive procedure has been developed for total arsenic and antimony determination in milk samples by hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry after microwave-assisted sample digestion. The discrete introduction of 2 ml of digested sample in the automated continuous flow hydride generation system allows us to reduce drastically the sample and HCl consume and to determine several elements from a same sample digestion. The method provides detection limits of 0.006 and 0.003 ng ml⁻¹, a sensitivity of 2390 and 2840 fluorescence units per ng ml⁻¹ for As and Sb respectively, and average relative standard deviation of 2.3% for As and 4.8% for Sb. The analysis of cow milk samples, obtained from the Spanish market evidenced the presence of As at concentration levels from 3.4 to 11.6 ng g⁻¹ and Sb levels from 3.5 to 11.9 ng g⁻¹, thus in a proportion near to 1:1, which is in contrast with the 10:1 natural ratio between As and Sb and could evidence the effect of the introduction of new alloys and polymer materials in the industrial process of milk. The method was validated by the comparison of data found for commercial samples by using the proposed procedure and reference methods based on dry-ashing and AFS, and microwave-assisted digestion and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry determination.     

Determination of ammonia in beers by pervaporation flow injection analysis and spectrophotometric detection

A pervaporation flow injection (PFI) method is described for the determination of ammonia in beers. After injecting the sample into a NaOH donor solution, ammonia and other volatiles are transferred in the pervaporation unit from the donor stream to an acceptor stream containing sodium salicylate and nitroprusside, which subsequently mixes with alkaline sodium dichloroisocyanurate to allow the classical Berthelot reaction to take place. The blue-coloured complex formed is monitored spectrophotometrically at 655 nm. A linear calibration curve with a range of 0.1–40 mg l⁻¹ was obtained. The method has a detection limit of 0.05 mg l⁻¹ and is capable of a sampling frequency of 11 h⁻¹ at 4 mg l⁻¹ ammonia. It was applied successfully to the determination of ammonia in synthetic samples and unfiltered lager beers. The advantages of the present method over the ammonia ion-selective electrode method and the PFI system based on mixed indicator detection are discussed.     

Determination of total arsenic in seawater by hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry

In this work, the determination of total As in seawater by hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry was studied. The influence of the chemical, flow and instrumental parameters were investigated and optimized. The pre-reduction of As(V) to As(III) was performed using KI plus ascorbic acid in 3.5 mol L^− 1 HCl medium. No multiplicative interference was present and external aqueous calibration could be used. The limit of detection was 36 ng L^− 1, while the repeatability was 2% (n = 10), at a 500 ng L^− 1 concentration level. The sample throughput was 15 h^− 1 if triplicate measurements were made. The accuracy was assessed by the analysis of a seawater certified reference material and excellent agreement between the obtained and certified values was verified. The procedure was used for the analysis of seawater offshore samples collected at the Brazilian coast and results ranging from 860 to 1200 ng L^− 1 were found.     

On-line preconcentration and speciation of arsenic by flow injection hydride generation atomic absorption spectrophotometry

A flow injection-column preconcentration-hydride generation atomic absorption spectrophotometric (FI-column-HGAAS) method was developed for determining μg/l levels of As(III) and As(V) in water samples, with simultaneous preconcentration and speciation. The speciation scheme involved determining As(V) at neutral pH and As(III + V) at pH 12, with As(III) obtained by difference. The enrichment factor (EF) increased with increase in sample loading volume from 2.5 to 10 ml, and for preconcentration using the chloride-form anion exchange column, EFs ranged from 5 to 48 for As(V) and 4 to 24 for As(III + V), with corresponding detection limits of 0.03-0.3 and 0.07-0.3 μg/l. Linear concentration range (LCR) also varied with sample loading volume, and for a 5-ml sample was 0.3-5 and 0.2-8 μg/l for As(V) and As(III + V), respectively. Sample throughput, which decreased with increase in sample volume, was 8-17 samples/h. For the hydroxide-form column, the EFS for 2.5-10 ml samples were 3-23 for As(V) and 2-15 for As(III + V), with corresponding detection limits of 0.07-0.4 and 0.1-0.5 μg/l. The LCR for a 5-ml sample was 0.3-10 μg/l for As(V) and 0.2-20 μg/l for As(III + V). Sample throughput was 10-20 samples/h. The developed method has been effectively applied to tap water and mineral water samples, with recoveries ranging from 90 to 102% for 5-ml samples passed through the two columns.     

Use of a surfactant in the determination of arsenic by flow injection hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry

The possible benefits of the addition of an anionic surfactant, didodecyldimethylammonium bromide, in the determination of arsenic, by flow injection hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry using a flame-heated quartz tube atomizer, were studied in the light of previous reports concerning the effects of surfactants on chemical vapor generation procedures. Concentrations of arsenic between 5 and 30 μg l⁻¹ were used. Calibrations in the presence and absence of the surfactant in the sample solution were not significantly different, either for the case where vesicles were formed in the presence of the analyte or where they were preformed in the surfactant solution and then added to the analyte. The surfactant had no effect on recoveries in the presence of copper, nickel or bismuth. The addition of the surfactant to the acid carrier and/or borohydride streams had no effect. It is proposed that there may be a greater role for surfactants in the improvement of the processes by which the hydride is transferred to the bulk gas phase than has been attributed in previous reports on this subject.     

Determination of As(III) and total inorganic arsenic by flow injection hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry

A simple procedure was developed for the direct determination of As(III) and As(V) in water samples by flow injection hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry (FI–HG–AAS), without pre-reduction of As(V). The flow injection system was operated in the merging zones configuration, where sample and NaBH₄ are simultaneously injected into two carrier streams, HCl and H₂O, respectively. Sample and reagent injected volumes were of 250 μl and flow rate of 3.6 ml min⁻¹ for hydrochloric acid and de-ionised water. The NaBH₄ concentration was maintained at 0.1% (w/v), it would be possible to perform arsine selective generation from As(III) and on-line arsine generation with 3.0% (w/v) NaBH₄ to obtain total arsenic concentration. As(V) was calculated as the difference between total As and As(III). Both procedures were tolerant to potential interference. So, interference such as Fe(III), Cu(II), Ni(II), Sb(III), Sn(II) and Se(IV) could, at an As(III) level of 0.1 mg l⁻¹, be tolerated at a weight excess of 5000, 5000, 500, 100, 10 and 5 times, respectively. With the proposed procedure, detection limits of 0.3 ng ml⁻¹ for As(III) and 0.5 ng ml⁻¹ for As(V) were achieved. The relative standard deviations were of 2.3% for 0.1 mg l⁻¹ As(III) and 2.0% for 0.1 mg l⁻¹ As(V). A sampling rate of about 120 determinations per hour was achieved, requiring 30 ml of NaBH₄ and waste generation in order of 450 ml. The method was shown to be satisfactory for determination of traces arsenic in water samples. The assay of a certified drinking water sample was 81.7±1.7 μg l⁻¹ (certified value 80.0±0.5 μg l⁻¹).     

流动注射在线共沉淀HG-AFS测定痕量铅

建立了流动注射在线共沉淀HG-AFS测定痕量铅的分析方法。方法基于铅在碱性介质中与氢氧化镁共沉淀，沉淀收集在锥形沉淀腔中，用HCl溶洗沉淀和NaBH4反应，产生的氢化物被载气引入原子化器中进行测定。测定铅的RSD为3％(5ng/mL，n=10)，检出限为0．01ng。检出限较直接进样降低了11倍。对国家标准物质中铅的测定结果与标准值相符。     

Speciation analysis of inorganic arsenic by a multisyringe flow injection system with hydride generation-atomic fluorescence spectrometric detection

In this study, a new technique by hydride generation-atomic fluorescence spectrometry (HG-AFS) for determination and speciation of inorganic arsenic using multisyringe flow injection analysis (MSFIA) is reported. The hydride (arsine) was generated by injecting precise known volumes of sample, a reducing sodium tetrahydroborate solution (0.2%), hydrochloric acid (6 M) and a pre-reducing solution (potassium iodide 10% and ascorbic acid 0.2%) to the system using a multisyringe burette coupled with one multi-port selection valve. This solution is used to pre-reduce As(V) to As(III), when the task is to speciate As(III) and As(V). As(V) is determined by the difference between total inorganic arsenic and As(III). The reagents are dispensed into a gas-liquid separation cell. An argon flow delivers the arsine into the flame of an atomic fluorescence spectrometer. A hydrogen flow has been used to support the flame. Nitrogen has been employed as a drier gas (Fig. 1).Several variables such as sample and reagents volumes, flow rates and reagent concentrations were investigated in detail. A linear calibration graph was obtained for arsenic determination between 0.1 and 3 μg l⁻¹. The detection limit of the proposed technique (3σ_b/S) was 0.05 μg l⁻¹. The relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) of As at 1 μg l⁻¹ was 4.4 % (n = 15). A sample throughput of 10 samples per hour was achieved. This technique was validated by means of reference solid and water materials with good agreement with the certified values. Satisfactory results for speciation of As(III) and As(V) by means of the developed technique were obtained.     

Determination of cadmium in leaves by ultrasound-assisted extraction prior to hydride generation, pervaporation and atomic absorption detection

A flow injection-pervaporation approach, where the samples – beech or olive leaves – were introduced as slurry, has been used for continuous derivatization hydride generation and separation of cadmium prior to determination by atomic absorption spectrometry. The removal of the analyte is achieved with an 1 mol/l HCl + 16% H₂O₂ aqueous solution with the help of an ultrasound probe acting for 17 min. Thiourea and cobalt were also added to the slurry for kinetic catalysis of hydride generation. A CRM – beech leaves – where the analyte had not been certified but estimated was used for optimisation of the leaching step. The results obtained using direct calibration against aqueous standards demonstrated the reliability of the method. The linear concentration range of the calibration curve was from pg/ml to ng/ml, with a correlation coefficient, r², better than 0.99. The detection and quantification limits were 0.3 and 0.9 ng/ml, respectively. The relative standard deviation for within-laboratory reproducibility was 5.7%. Olive leaves CRM was used for validation.     

Determination of arsenic in gold by flow injection inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry with matrix removal by reductive precipitation

Arsenic was determined in gold by flow injection hydride generation inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry following a batch mode reductive precipitation removal of the interfering gold matrix. A solution of potassium iodide, L-ascorbic acid, and hydrochloric acid was used as the reluctant. The recovery of gold by precipitation and filtration was 99 ± 3%. The detection limit for arsenic in gold was 55 ng g⁻¹ in the solid. The concentration of arsenic that was determined in the Royal Canadian Mint gold sample FAU-10 was 29.7 μg g⁻¹ in the solid; this value was indistinguishable, with 95% confidence, from values determined at the Royal Canadian Mint by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry and by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. The standard deviation for four replicate determinations of the arsenic in FAU-10 was 0.972 μg g⁻¹ in the solid.     

顺序注射氢化物发生-原子荧光光谱法同时测定硒和砷的研究

建立了一种顺序注射氢化物发生-原子荧光光谱法测定试样中Se和As的方法,同时讨论了共存离子的干扰情况.在最佳实验条件下,Se和As的检出限分别为0.16和0.095 μg/L,加标回收率为92.4%～104.7%.     

Determination of arsenic in dinosaur skeleton fossils by hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry

Hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry was for the first time utilized to determine trace toxic element arsenic in the skeleton fossils of four dinosaurs unearthed in Sichuan Province of China. The instrumental limit of detection (LOD) for arsenic was 0.03 μg/L under optimal experimental conditions, which compared favorably to that by ICP-AES and ETAAS. The samples were digested with aqua regia in boiling water bath. The recoveries of standard addition were found to be from 97 to 109%, and the analytical results were found in good agreement with those by ICP-AES. It is a simple, reliable, sensitive yet relatively inexpensive analytical method, compared to ICP-AES, ICP-MS or ETAAS. Interesting analytical results were found that the arsenic concentrations were all abnormally high in the skeleton fossils. The established analytical method and the analytical results may be helpful in revealing the mystery of the mass extinction of the dinosaur fauna. The analytical results, together with other data available to date, supported the argument that the arsenic toxicosis could be a contributing factor for the mass extinction of the dinosaur fauna in Sichuan Province of China.     

Hyphenation of flow injection/sequential injection with chemical hydride/vapor generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry

The dominant role played by flow injection/sequential injection (FI/SI, including lab-on-valve, LOV) in automatic on-line sample pretreatments coupling to various detection techniques is amply demonstrated by the large number of publications it has given rise to. Among these, its hyphenation with hydride/vapor generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry (HG/VG-AFS) has become one of the most attractive sub-branches during the last years, attributed not only to the high sensitivity of this technique, but also to the superb separation capability of hydride/vapor forming elements from complex sample matrices. In addition, it also provides potentials for the speciation of the elements of interest.It is worth mentioning that quite a few novel developments of sample pretreatment have emerged recently, which attracted extensive attentions from the related fields of research. The aim of this mini-review is thus to illustrate the state-of-the-art progress of implementing flow injection/sequential injection and miniaturized lab-on-valve systems for on-line hydride/vapor generation separation and preconcentration of vapor forming elements followed with detection by atomic fluorescence spectrometry, within the period from 2004 up to now. Future perspectives in this field are also discussed.     

Open digestion under reflux for the determination of total arsenic in seafood by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry with hydride generation

A method for the determination of arsenic (As) in seafood by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry with continuous hydride generation is described. Several analytical parameters have been investigated and optimised. The analytical features of the method (recovery, precision, accuracy and limit of detection) were calculated. Practical detection limit of 3.6 μg/kg fresh weight for As has been reached. The precision of the method expressed as relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) was in the range of 2.7-3.7% and the recovery percentage ranged from 98.4 to 101.8%. The reliability of the developed method was checked by analysing several certified reference materials. A complete mineralization was obtained for arsenobetaine (AsB) containing reference material with a mixture of nitric and sulphuric acids followed by adding hydrogen peroxide in an open digestion system. This method can be applied to routine analysis without any risks of interferences.     

Determination of arsenic and selenium by hydride generation and headspace solid phase microextraction coupled with optical emission spectrometry

A hydride generation headspace solid phase microextraction technique has been developed in combination with optical emission spectrometry for determination of total arsenic and selenium. Hydrides were generated in a 10 mL volume septum-sealed vial and subsequently collected onto a polydimethylsiloxane/Carboxen solid phase microextraction fiber from the headspace of sample solution. After completion of the sorption, the fiber was transferred into a thermal desorption unit and the analytes were vaporized and directly introduced into argon inductively coupled plasma or helium microwave induced plasma radiation source. Experimental conditions of hydride formation reaction as well as sorption and desorption of analytes have been optimized showing the significant effect of the type of the solid phase microextraction fiber coating, the sorption time and hydrochloric acid concentration of the sample solution on analytical characteristics of the method developed. The limits of detection of arsenic and selenium were 0.1 and 0.8 ng mL^− 1, respectively. The limit of detection of selenium could be improved further using biosorption with baker's yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae for analyte preconcentration. The technique was applied for the determination of total As and Se in real samples.     

Flow injection-hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometric determination of selenium, arsenic and bismuth

A simple and robust flow injection system which permits low sample and reagent consumption is described for rapid and reliable hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometric determination of selenium, arsenic and bismuth. The system, which composed of one peristaltic pump and one four channel solenoid valve, used water as the carrier streams for both sample and NaBH₄ solution. Rapid off-line pre-reduction of the analytes was achieved by using hydroxylamine hydrochloride for selenium and a mixture of potassium iodide and ascorbic acid for arsenic and bismuth. Transition metal interference was eliminated with the addition of thiourea and EDTA into the NaBH₄ solution and significant sensitivity enhancement was observed for selenium in the presence of thiourea in the reductant solution. Under optimised conditions, the method achieved detection limits of 0.2 ng mL⁻¹ for Se, 0.5 ng mL⁻¹ for As and 0.3 ng mL⁻¹ for Bi. The method was very reproducible, achieving relative standard deviations of 6.3% for Se, 3.6% for As and 4.7% for Bi, and has a sample throughput of 360 h⁻¹. Successful application of the method to the quantification of selenium, arsenic and bismuth in a certified reference river sediment sample is reported.     

氢化物发生-原子荧光光谱法测定中草药中的微量砷

研究了氢化物发生-原子荧光光谱法测定中草药中微量砷的方法的最佳条件，以50g／L硫脲 50g／L抗坏血酸为预还原抗干扰剂，测定了10种中草药药品中的砷，方法检出限(3σ)为0．103μg/L，相对标准偏差为1．6％-3.2％，回收率为89．2％-112％。     

Study of processes in the hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry of antimony,arsenic and selenium

Studies of the decomposition rate of the reducing agent sodium tetrahydroborate in alkaline and acidic media and of the reaction rate of the formation of the hydrides under the usual analytical conditions are described. The stripping of the hydrides with different lengths of the stripping coil, with different amounts of hydrogen in the carrier gas and with sodium hydroxide added during and after the stripping process are discussed. Some evidence for the existence of an intermediate during the decomposition reaction of the sodium tetrahydroborate is given. The role of temperature, hydrogen and oxygen during the atomization of the hydrides in an electrically heated quartz cuvette is discussed. Under certain conditions, antimony atoms form dimers or elemental antimony precipitates in the heated cuvette.     

氢化物发生原子荧光光谱法测定磷酸中的砷

采用HCl处理H3PO4试样，氢化物发生原于荧光光谱法测定As，对仪器条件、HCl酸度、预还原剂用量、还原剂用量、共存干扰进行了试验，方法的检出限为0．18ng／mL，测定精密度1．9％-3．0％，回收率为96．0％-98．0％。