Interference of humic substances on the speciation analysis of inorganic selenium in waters and soils by DPCSV

A speciation scheme allowing the study of selenium speciation in environmental samples has been developed in order to study the transfer mechanism in the system water/soil/plant/animal. This scheme is based on a set of sample treatment procedures followed by Se(IV) determination by Differential Pulse Cathodic Stripping Voltammetry (DPCSV). Se(IV) may be determined with a detection limit close to 25 ng l^–1 and a linear response in the range 25–4000 ng l^–1. However, humic substances, present in some natural waters and soils, which are adsorbed at the mercury drop electrode (HMDE) surface may alter the signal. This may be caused by a competition between adsorption of organic matter and mercury(II) selenide formation at the electrode surface. As a consequence the detection limit has been increased to ca. 250 ng l^–1 in the presence of 1 mg l^–1 fulvic acids; the linear response range is then shifted to 250–10000 ng l^–1. After an extensive study of these interferences and using standard additions procedures, the Se(IV) content of various waters and soil extracts has been determined by DPCSV with a good reproducibility (RSD about 1%). Accuracy is satisfactory comparing the results obtained by DPCSV to those obtained by Hydride Generation/Quartz Furnace Absorption Atomic Spectrometry (HG/QFAAS).     

Determination of very low/levels of selenium(IV) in sea water by differential-pulse cathodic stripping voltammetry after extraction of the 3,3′-diaminobenzidine piazselenol

Selenium(IV) is determined by cathodic stripping voltammetry after the formation of a piazselenol with 3,3′-diaminobenzidine. The selenium is then accumulated as HgSe on a mercury electrode by deposition at ?0.45 V. The differential-pulse cathodic stripping peak allows a detection limit of 0.01 μg l^?1. For the determination of selenium in natural waters, interferences can be avoided by extraction of the piazselenol into toluene followed by a back-extraction into 0.5 M hydrochloric acid. The accuracy of the overall procedure was checked by analyses of a standard reference material. The method was applied to the determination of selenium(IV) in sea-water samples at levels as low as 20 ng l^?1 with a concentration factor of 10 during the extraction procedure.     

Determination of dissolved iron(III) in estuarine and coastal waters by adsorptive stripping chronopotentiometry (SCP)

An adsorptive stripping chronopotentiometric (SCP) method has been developed for quantification of dissolved iron in estuarine and coastal waters. After UV-digestion of filtered samples the Fe(III) ions in non-deoxygenated samples were complexed with solochrom violet RS (SVRS). The complexes were then accumulated by adsorption on the surface of a mercury-film electrode. The stripping step was performed by applying a constant current of −17 μA. Sensitivity and detection limit were 15 ms nmol⁻¹ L (270 ms μg⁻¹ L) and 1.5 nmol L⁻¹ (84 ng L⁻¹), respectively, for 60-s electrolysis time. Compared with the only other chronopotentiometric method available for measurement of iron in natural waters, our procedure is fifty times more sensitive in a quarter of the electrolysis time. It therefore enables detection of the concentrations currently found in estuarine and coastal waters. The method was successfully used to study the behaviour and seasonal variations of dissolved iron in the Penzé estuary, NW France.     

Direct determination of selenium in whole blood by anodic stripping voltammetry

Trace quantities of selenium can be determined in the presence of iron, copper and lead using anodic stripping voltammetry, depositing at –0.60 V in 0.1M HClO₄ and stripping in the anodic direction. Two separate peaks are observed at –0.25 V and –0.10 V belonging to copper and selenium, respectively. Sometimes one peak may be observed for both copper and selenium. In this case one more stripping (without deposition) must be done to obtain separate peaks. After standard addition, two strippings have to be done also. With this proposed method, 10^–7 M selenium could be determined as (1.09±0.03) × 10^–7 M with a 90% confidence interval in blood samples without any separation.Presented at Xth National Chemistry Congress, Bursa, Turkey, September 19–21, 1994     

Parameter evaluation for the determination of selenium by cathodic stripping voltammetry at the hanging mercury drop electrode

The behaviour of selenium(IV) in cathodic stripping voltammetry is evaluated systematically. The effects of copper concentration, pH, deposition potential and complexing agents on the stripping peak are examined and criteria are given for the choice of suitable quantitative parameters. The detection limit was found to be 20 ng l^?1 and the background contamination level was 35 ng l^?1. Zinc and lead do not affect the determination of selenium if EDTA is added to the solution whereas cadmium interferes badly; the corresponding mechanisms are discussed.     

Speciation of selenium(IV) and selenium(VI) in environmental samples by the combination of graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometric determination and solid phase extraction on Diaion HP-2MG

A simple solid phase extraction procedure for speciation of selenium(IV) and selenium(VI) in environmental samples has been proposed prior to graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. The method is based on the solid phase extraction of the selenium(IV)-ammonium pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (APDC) chelate on the Diaion HP-2MG. After reduction of Se(VI) by heating the samples in the microwave oven with 4 mol l⁻¹ HCl, the system was applied to the total selenium. Se(VI) was calculated as the difference between the total selenium content and Se(IV) content. The experimental parameters, pH, amounts of reagents, eluent type and sample volume were optimized. The recoveries of analytes were found greater than 95%. No appreciable matrix effects were observed. The adsorption capacity of sorbent was 5.20 mg g⁻¹ Se (IV). The detection limit of Se (IV) (3sigma, n = 11) is 0.010 μg l⁻¹. The preconcentration factor for the presented system was 100. The proposed method was applied to the speciation of selenium(IV), selenium(VI) and determination of total selenium in natural waters and microwave digested soil, garlic, onion, rice, wheat and hazelnut samples harvested various locations in Turkey with satisfactory results. In order to verify the accuracy of the method, certified reference materials (NIST SRM 2711 Montana Soil, NIST SRM 1568a Rice Flour and NIST SRM 8418 Wheat Gluten) were analyzed and the results obtained were in good agreement with the certified values. The relative errors and relative standard deviations were below 6 and 10%, respectively.     

Electrochemical vapor generation of selenium species after online photolysis and reduction by UV-irradiation under nano TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> photocatalysis and its application to selenium speciation by HPLC coupled with atomic fluorescence spectrometry

An online UV photolysis and UV/TiO₂ photocatalysis reduction device (UV–UV/TiO₂ PCRD) and an electrochemical vapor generation (ECVG) cell have been used for the first time as an interface between high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and atomic fluorescence spectrometry (AFS) for selenium speciation. The newly designed ECVG cell of approximately 115 L dead volume consists of a carbon fiber cathode and a platinum loop anode; the atomic hydrogen generated on the cathode was used to reduce selenium to vapor species for AFS determination. The noise was greatly reduced compared with that obtained by use of the UV–UV/TiO₂ PCRD–KBH₄–acid interface. The detection limits obtained for seleno-DL-cystine (SeCys), selenite (Se^IV), seleno-DL-methionine (SeMet), and selenate (Se^VI) were 2.1, 2.9, 4.3, and 3.5 ng mL^–1, respectively. The proposed method was successfully applied to the speciation of selenium in water-soluble extracts of garlic shoots cultured with different selenium species. The results obtained suggested that UV–UV/TiO₂ PCRD–ECVG should be an effective interface between HPLC and AFS for the speciation of elements amenable to vapor generation, and is superior to methods involving KBH₄.     

Sequential hydride generation/pneumatic nebulisation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry for the fractionation of arsenic and selenium species

The toxicity of certain elements is known to be related to their organic substituents and/or oxidation states. As such, total elemental determinations do not always yield sufficient information for accurate risk assessments and therefore speciation or fractionation data are required. In order to obtain fractionation data for trace levels of arsenic and selenium, a novel sequential pneumatic nebulisation (PN)/hydride generation (HG) inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) method was developed. The method offers the advantage of sample introduction via either PN or HG by simply rotating a 4-way switching valve while the system is in operation. In PN mode, the liquid sample is aspirated into ICP, allowing for the determination of the total amount of each element, whilst in HG mode only the arsenic and selenium species that form volatile hydrides are determined. Conveniently, in the case of arsenic, this allows for differentiation between the four most toxic arsenic species (arsenate, arsenite, monomethylarsonic acid and dimethylarsinic acid), which form volatile hydrides, and the virtually non-toxic forms (arsenobetaine, arsenosugars, etc.), which do not. This allows for the rapid estimation of the amounts of toxic and non-toxic arsenic species present in a sample. For arsenic, the technique gave detection limits of 36 ng l⁻¹ in PN mode and 1 ng l⁻¹ in HG mode. For selenium, detection limits of 150 ng l⁻¹ were achieved in PN mode and 220 ng l⁻¹ in HG mode. The technique also gave good long- and short-term stabilities of under 6% RSD for both elements. A variety of samples, including water and urine standard reference materials, were analysed in both modes, and the precision and accuracy of the results for total arsenic and selenium levels were assessed. Using the technique in both modes also allowed for the fractionation of As and Se species into their volatile hydride-forming and non-hydride-forming species. This was particularly informative, with respect to As species present, in the case of a kelp powder extract. Digested tobacco samples were only analysed for their total As levels, in which case results obtained via both sample introduction modes showed good agreement.     

Determination of Selenium(IV) by Stripping Voltammetry at a Mercury-Film Electrode

A procedure was proposed for the determination of selenium(IV) by stripping voltammetry on a mercury-film electrode at an electrolysis potential of +0.4 V versus the saturated silver–silver chloride reference electrode in a 1 M H₂SO₄ solution. The current of the cathodic peak is a linear function of the selenium(IV) concentration in the range from 5 × 10^–3 to 3 × 10^–1 mg/L (6.3 × 10^–8 to 3.8 × 10^–6 M) at a time of electrolysis of 30 s (t _el). The detection limit for selenium is 1 × 10^–4 mg/L (1.3 × 10^–9 M) at t _el = 300 s. It was shown that selenium(IV) can be determined in the presence of 10 mg/L Zn(II), 1 mg/L Cd(II), 0.5 mg/L Pb(II), and 0.2 mg/L Cu(II). A procedure for the determination of selenium in natural, mineral, and potable water was proposed.     

Analytical methods for the speciation of selenium compounds: a review

Selenium, like sulphur, exists in the environment in several oxidation states and as a variety of inorganic and organic compounds. Dissolved inorganic selenium can be found in natural waters as selenide Se (–II), as colloidal elemental selenium Se (0), as selenite anions HSeO ₃ ^– and SeO ₃ ^2– i.e. Se (+IV) and as the selenate anion (SeO ₄ ^2– ) i.e. Se (+VI). Organic forms of selenium that may be found in organisms, air or in the aqueous environment, are volatile (methylselenides) or non volatile (trimethylselenonium ion, selenoamino acids and their derivatives). Knowledge of the different chemical forms and their environmental and biomedical distribution is important because of the dependence of bioavailability and toxicity on speciation. This paper reviews the different analytical methods used for the speciation of selenium compounds, with special attention to inorganic selenium and organoselenium species.     

Routine determination of mercury,arsenic and selenium by radiochemical Neutron Activation Analysis

A method for the determination of mercury, arsenic and selenium by neutron activation analysis is described. Radiochemical separations are performed by selective distillation followed by electrolysis of mercury on gold and precipitation of arsenic and/or selenium by reduction to the elemental form. The chemical yields are 80–90% for mercury and 90–100% for arsenic and selenium. Interference tests have been carried out with reference to those elements most likely to interfere with the analysis. Detection limits for mercury, arsenic and selenium using 0.1 g of sample are 0.2 ng g^–1, 2 ng g^–1 and 3 ng g^–1, resp. Detection limits can be improved using greater sample size and neutron flux density. Results from the analysis of several NBS standard reference materials are given.     

Microcolumn preconcentration and gas chromatography-microwave induced plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (GC-MIP-AES) for mercury speciation in waters

A novel method for the direct determination of mercury species at the ng l^–1 level in natural waters is described. Methyl-, ethyl- and inorganic mercury are preconcentrated on a sulphhydryl cotton microcolumn incorporated in a flow injection system. Retained mercury species are then eluted with hydrochloric acid solution (3 mol/l) and subjected to phenylation before determination by gas chromatography-microwave induced plasma-atomic emission spectrometry. Limits of detection for mercury species are 10 ng l^–1 for methyl- and ethyl-mercury and 16 ng l^–1 for inorganic mercury based on processing 200 ml of sample. Application of the methodology to waters of the Manchester Ship Canal revealed elevated levels of methylmercury and inorganic mercury.     

Separation and speciation of selenium in food and water samples by the combination of magnesium hydroxide coprecipitation-graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometric determination

A simple and economic separation and speciation procedure for selenium in food and water samples have been presented prior to its graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS). Magnesium hydroxide coprecipitation system for selenium(IV) was applied to the separation and speciation of selenium ions. The influences of the various analytical parameters for the quantitative recoveries of selenium ions like pH, amounts of magnesium ions as carrier elements, etc. on were examined. The effects of the alkaline and earth alkaline metals, some transition metals and some anions on the recoveries of selenium(IV) were also investigated. The recoveries of analytes were found greater than 95%. No appreciable matrix effects were observed. The detection limit, defined as three times the blank standard deviation (3σ), was 0.030 μg l⁻¹. The preconcentration factor for the presented system was 25. The proposed method was applied to the speciation of selenium(IV), selenium(VI) and determination of total selenium in natural waters and microwave digested various food samples with satisfactory results. The procedure was validated with certified reference materials. The relative errors and relative standard deviations were below 6% and 10%, respectively.     

Kinetic determination of trace levels of selenium(IV) and total selenium by Nile Blue A/hydrogen peroxide method

A kinetic method for the determination of selenium(IV) traces is proposed, based on its inhibitory action on the oxidation of Nile Blue A by hydrogen peroxide in phosphate buffer (pH 10.5). A linear dependence was established between the rate of the proposed indicator reaction and selenium concentration in the range 9.5 × 10^–2-1.58 ng cm^–3. The experimental conditions of maximal selenium effect were established. Selenium, determined by the tangent method, was determined at concentrations over the range 0.22–1.26 ng cm^–3, with relative standard deviations up to 4.5%. The reaction rate was followed spectrophotometrically. The effect of foreign ions on the accuracy of this method was also investigated. The method was applied to the determination of selenium in pharmaceutical preparations and wheat flour.     

Speciation analysis of selenium enriched green onions (Allium fistulosum) by HPLC-ICP-MS

Green onions (Allium fistulosum) enriched with 10 or 100 μg mL^− 1 Se(IV) or SeMet were analyzed for total selenium and species distribution. Anion and cation exchange chromatographies were applied for the separation of selenium species with mass spectrometric detection. Two different sample preparation methods (NaOH and enzymatic) were compared from the Se extraction efficiency point of view. Total selenium concentration accumulated by the onions reached the 200 μg g^− 1 level expressed for dry weight when applying SeMet at a concentration of 100 μg mL^− 1 as the source of Se. Speciation studies revealed that both in onion bulbs and leaves the predominant form of organic selenium is Se-methyl-selenocysteine (MeSeCys). When Se(IV) was applied for Se-enrichment at a concentration level of 100 μg mL^− 1 both onion leaf and bulb contained a significant amount of inorganic selenium. An unknown compound was also detected.     

The gas chromatographic determination of selenium(IV) and total selenium in natural waters with 1,2-diamino-3,5-dibromobenzene

The total selenium and selenium(IV) contents in sea water and river water can be determined directly by a gas chromatographic method with l,2-diamino-3,5-dibromobenzene without preconcentration. The reagent reacts only with selenium(IV) to form a 4,6-dibromopiazselenol; other oxidation states of selenium must therefore be converted to the tetravalent state for total selenium determinations. The piazselenol formed can be extracted quantitatively into 1 ml of toluene from 500 ml of sample water. A method is proposed for the determination of selenium(IV) and total selenium in natural waters at levels as low as 2 ng l^-1. Coastal sea water and river water in Japan contain 8–30 ng of Se(IV) and 20–50 ng of total Se per liter.     

Influence of selenium on the catalytic properties of ruthenium-based cluster catalysts for oxygen reduction

The favourable influence of selenium on the catalytic properties of Ru-based catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction in acid electrolytes has been investigated by rotating disk electrode measurements. Compared to the oxygen reduction of selenium-free Ru-based catalysts, the overpotential at low current densities (ca. 10 μA cm⁻²) is not affected by the presence of selenium whereas selenium-containing catalysts show higher current densities under fuel cell relevant conditions. The kinetically controlled current density at 0.6 V versus SHE increases 4–5 fold with increasing selenium content. A maximum value is obtained at about 15 mol% Se. This effect is tentatively explained by a modification of the catalytic active centre, which is assumed to consist of Ru---C---CO complexes. IR spectroscopic investigations indicate a reaction of selenium with these complexes. This model is also supported by the study of the electrooxidation of CO. In contrast to the selenium-free catalyst, no CO oxidation is observed on the selenium-containing catalyst. Additional effects of selenium are an enhanced stability towards electrochemical oxidation and a lower amount of Ru oxides formed during synthesis, as evidenced from XRD investigations. Direct four electron oxygen reduction to water is efficient and H₂O₂ production of these catalysts is small (about 5% at potentials <0.3 V vs. SHE ).     

Determination of total selenium and selenium distribution in the milk phases in commercial cow’s milk by HG-AAS

A procedure has been developed for determining the selenium in cows milk using hydride generation–atomic absorption spectrometry (HG-AAS) following microwave-assisted acid digestion. The selenium distributions in milk whey, fat and micellar casein phases were studied after separating the different phases by ultracentrifugation and determining the selenium in all of them. The detection limits obtained by HG-AAS for the whole milk, milk whey and micellar casein were 0.074, 0.065 and 0.075 g l^–1, respectively. The accuracy for the whole milk was checked by using a Certified Reference Material CRM 8435 whole milk powder from NIST, and the analytical recoveries for the milk whey and casein micelles were 100.9 and 96.9%, respectively. A mass balance study of the determination of selenium in the different milk phases was carried out, obtaining values of 95.5–100.8%. The total content of selenium was determined in 37 milk samples from 15 different manufacturers, 19 whole milk samples and 18 skimmed milk samples. The selenium levels found were within the 8.5–21 g l^–1 range. The selenium distributions in the different milk phases were studied in 14 whole milk samples, and the highest selenium levels were found in milk whey (47.2–73.6%), while the lowest level was found for the fat phase (4.8–16.2%). A strong correlation was found between the selenium levels in whole milk and the selenium levels in the milk components.     

Simultaneous ion chromatographic determination of selenium and metal ions in waters at trace level

Summary An ion-chromatographic procedure is described for the determination of selenium (VI) at μg L⁻¹ level in the presence of anions and heavy metal ions. Maximum permissible concentrations and effects from each interfering substance were investigated for the Se concentration range 12.5–1,000 μg L⁻¹. The method, optimized for the detection of SeO ₄ ²⁻ , gives results suitable for speciation analysis. Total selenium can be determined after complete conversion to selenate ion by oxidation with KMnO₄. The detection limit of selenium is 4.8 μg L⁻¹ (0.96 ng for 200 μL sample). Paper presented at the 41st Pittsburgh Conference, New York, March 5–9, 1990.     

Determination of organic forms of mercury and arsenic in water and atmospheric samples by gas chromatography-atomic absorption

Summary A study of the determination of dimethylmercury, methylmercury, ethylmercury, dimethylarsine and methylarsine in water and in atmospheric samples was carried out. The studied compounds were extracted from water by a benzene-toluene mixture, evaporated if necessary and analyzed by gas chromatography with atomic absorption spectrometry as a detector. A 45 cm column packed with Tenax was used. The detection limits of the procedure were: 4 ng Hg in dimethylmercury and methylmercury, 5 ng Hg in ethylmercury and 25 ng As in dimethyl and methylarsine in 1 l water. Methylmercury and ethylmercury were detected in Ontario natural waters and snow at 12–45 and 7–15 ng Hg l^–1 respectively. The level of methylarsine varied from 40 to 90 ng l^–1. Dimethylmercury and dimethylarsine were detected only in the Humber River.

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Bestimmung von organischem Quecksilber und Arsen in Wasser und atmosphärischen Proben durch GC/AAS

Zusammenfassung Die Bestimmung von Dimethylquecksilber, Methylquecksilber, Ethylquecksilber, Dimethylarsin und Methylarsin in Wasser und atmosphärischen Proben wurde untersucht. Die Verbindungen wurden aus Wasser mit Hilfe eines Benzol-Toluol-Gemisches extrahiert, falls erforderlich eingedampft und durch Gas-Chromatographie mit AAS-Detektion analysiert. Zur Verwendung kam eine 45-cm-Tenax-Säule. Folgende Nachweisgrenzen wurden gefunden: 4 ng Hg in Dimethyl- und Methylquecksilber, 5 ng Hg in Ethylquecksilber und 25 ng As in Dimethyl- und Methylarsin je Liter Wasser. 12–45 bzw. 7–l5 ng Hg l^–1 Methyl- bzw. Ethylquecksilber wurden in natürlichem Wasser und Schnee von Ontario bestimmt. Die Menge an Methylarsin schwankte von 40 bis 90 ng Hg l^–1. Dimethylquecksilber und Dimethylarsen wurden nur im Humber gefunden