Characterization of organic arsenic compounds in bivalves

Water-soluble arsenic compounds were extracted with methanol/water (1:1, v/v) from various species of bivalves and also from certified reference materials (NIES No. 6, mussel tissue, and NBS 1566, oyster tissue). The extracts were analyzed with a high-performance liquid chromatograph combined with an inductively coupled argon plasma mass spectrometer serving as an arsenic-specific detector. A certified reference material (NIES No. 6) was used to check the reproducibility of the analysis. The relative standard deviations (RSDs) of the peak area of major arsenic compounds among repeated measurements (n = 6) on the same extrct were less than 3.3%, indicating good reproducibility of the technique. The RSDs of some peaks among measurements of independent extracts, on the other hand, were more than 10%, possibly reflecting the heterogeneity of the sample in terms of the chemical species under the present experimental conditions. In many of the samples analyzed in the present study, two arsenic-containing ribofuranosides were detected in addition to arsenobetaine. A compound bearing a glycerophosphoryl glycerol moiety was dominant in such cases. Interestingly, a bivalve living in an estuary (Corbicula japonica) did not contain a detectable amount of arsenobetaine though it had arsenic-containing ribofuranosides. The distribution of arsenic species in the various parts of a clam (Meretrix lusoria) and a mussel (Mytilus coruscum) was also analyzed.     

Electrochemically Aided Control of Solid Phase Micro-Extraction (EASPME) Using Conducting Polymer-Coated Solid Substrates Applicable to Neutral Analytes

A method for the extraction and selective determination of the neutral species arsenobetaine (AsB) is proposed using electro-synthesized organic conducting polymer (OCP) films. The polymer films are used as solid phase micro-extraction (SPME) elements for the direct and specific extraction of trace levels of AsB. The separation and detection of the arsenic (As) species is attained using an HPLC-ICP-MS interfaced system. The selectivity of the method towards neutral AsB in the presence of other anionic As-species is explained in terms of the change in the hydrophobic nature of the film during the doping/undoping processes. The type of OCP, the thickness of the film, the applied potential during uptake and release of AsB are among the factors studied for the method. The uptake and release time/potential profiles are given, and a thermodynamic model is proposed. The performance of poly(3-octylthiophene), poly(3-dodecylthiophene), and poly(3-hexadecylthiophene) films were compared, with the best results obtained using poly(3-octylthiophene). The detection limit and linear dynamic range using this method are 14ngmL^–1 and 70–1200ngmL^–1, respectively. The method was validated using a standard reference material and tested for the determination of AsB in artificial environmental soil samples.     

Refractory methylated arsenic compounds in estuarine waters: Tracing back elusive species

Water from the Tagus estuary, Portugal, was concentrated and purified through evaporation, solvent extraction, ion exchange and HPLC, and peaks of refractory arsenicals were detected by difference between total arsenic (GF AA) and hydride-forming arsenic species (HG QF AA). DCI mass spectra of these fractions presented peaks at m/z 139, 157 and 159; the proportion of m/z 157 and 159 peaks, approx. 3:1, suggested a chlorinated moiety. DCI MS/MS daughter-ion fragmentation of these peaks seems compatible with dimethylarsenic (cacodylic) acid and structures of the type Me₂As(O)Cl or Me₃As(OH)F. The refractory character of these fractions, however, cannot be explained by these structures. Further work with mixtures of halogen and arsenic species injected in the HPLC system showed that fluoride and iodide can shift DMA (dimethylarsenic) and TMAO (trimethylarsine oxide) to shorter retention times but not to R_f values similar to refractory arsenicals. These latter are attained by mixtures of sodium chloride + arsenobetaine, and sodium fluoride and chloride + arsenocholine. We suggest that peaks at m/z 139 and 157 correspond to fragments of a heavier refractory molecule mainly formed by halogenated betaines including chloroarsenobetaine and chloro- and fluoro-arsenocholine.     

Arsenic speciation in clams of British Columbia

The water-soluble arsenic compounds in five species of clams – Butter clam (Saxidomus giganteus), Horse clam (Schizothoerus nuttalli), Soft-shelled clam (Mya arenaria), Native littleneck clam (Protothaca staminea), and Manila clam (Venerupis japonica) – are described. Varying amounts of arsenobetaine and tetramethylarsonium ion are the major arsenicals found in all species. Butter clams show the presence of a third compound which appears to be trimethylarsine oxide. Small amounts of as-yet-unidentified arsenicals can also be isolated.     

Metabolism of arsenic compounds by the blue mussel mytilus edulis after accumulation from seawater spiked with arsenic compounds

Blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) were exposed to 100 μg As dm^?3 in the form of arsenite, arsenate, methylarsonic acid, dimethylarsinic acid, arsenobetaine, arsenocholine, trimethylarsine oxide, tetramethylarsonium iodide or dimethyl-(2-hydroxyethyl)arsine oxide in seawater for 10 days. The seawater was renewed and spiked with the arsenic compounds daily. Analyses of water samples taken 24 h after spiking showed that arsenobetaine and arsenocholine had been converted to trimethylarsine oxide, whereas trimethylarsine oxide and tetramethylarsonium iodide were unchanged. Arsenobetaine was accumulated by mussels most efficienty, followed in efficiency by arsenocholine and tetramethylarsonium iodide. None of the other arsenic compounds was significantly accumulated by the mussels. Extraction of mussel tissues with methanol revealed that control mussels contained arsenobetaine, a dimethyl-(5-ribosyl)arsine oxide and an additional arsenic compound, possibly dimethylarsinic acid. Mussels exposed to arsenobetaine contained almost all their experimentally accumulated arsenic as arsenobetaine, and mussels exposed to tetramethylarsonium iodide contained it as the tetramethylarsonium compound. Mussels exposed to arsenocholine had arsenobetaine as the major arsenic compound and glycerylphosphorylarsenocholine as a minor arsenic compound in their tissues. The results show that arsenobetaine and arsenocholine are efficiently accumulated from seawater by blue mussels and that in both cases the accumulated arsenic is present in the tissues as arsenobetaine. Consequently arsenobetaine and/or arsenocholine present at very low concentrations in seawater may be responsible for the presence of arsenobetaine in M. edulis and probably also among other marine animals. The quantity of arsenobetaine accumulated by the mussels decreases with increasing concentrations of betaine. HPLC-ICP-MS was found to be very powerful for the investigation of the metabolism of arsenic compounds in biological systems.     

Adsorption of Inorganic and Organic Arsenic Compounds by Aluminium-loaded Coral Limestone

Coral limestones were treated with an aqueous solution of aluminium sulfate and thereby aluminium-loaded coral limestones (Al-CL) were prepared. By use of Al-CL as an adsorbent, the adsorption of inorganic arsenic compounds (arsenate [As(V)] and arsenite [As(III)] and of organic arsenic compounds (methylarsonic acid, dimethylarsinic acid, and arsenobetaine) was examined. The adsorption ability of Al-CL is superior to that of iron(III)-loaded coral limestone (Fe-CL) for As(V), As(III), methylarsonic acid and dimethylarsinic acid. The adsorption of As(V) and As(III) is almost independent of the initial pH over a wide range (2 or 3 to 11). The addition of other anions, such as chloride, nitrate, sulfate and acetate, in the solution does not affect the adsorption of As(V) and As(III), whereas the addition of phosphate greatly interferes with the adsorption. Arsenic adsorption is effectively applied to a column-type operation and the adsorption capability for As(V) is 150 μg/g coral limestone.     

Arsenic Transformations in Short Marine Food Chains studied by HPLC-ICP MS

The chemical forms of arsenic in some herbivorous or mainly herbivorous marine animals and, in some cases, the algae on which they feed were determined by HPLC-ICP MS. In most cases arsenobetaine was present in the animals as well as arsenosugars consumed directly from the algae. However in the case of copepods Gladioferens imparipes fed only on the diatom Chaetoceros concavicornis which had been grown in axenic culture, arseno-betaine was absent. Arsenobetaine was also absent from the muscle of the silver drummer Kyphosus sydneyanus, although trimethyl-arsine oxide was present. This is the first reported case of the absence of arsenobetaine in a marine teleost fish and may be related to its fermentative faculty for digesting the macroalgae that it consumes. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Can Humans Metabolize Arsenic Compounds to Arsenobetaine?

Arsenic compounds were determined in 21 urine samples collected from a male volunteer. The volunteer was exposed to arsenic through either consumption of codfish or inhalation of small amounts of (CH₃)₃As present in the laboratory air. The arsenic compounds in the urine were separated and quantified with an HPLC–ICP–MS system equipped with a hydraulic high-pressure nebulizer. This method has a determination limit of 0.5 μg As dm⁻³ urine. To eliminate the influence of the density of the urine, creatinine was determined and all concentrations of arsenic compounds were expressed in μg As g⁻¹ creatinine. The concentrations of arsenite, arsenate and methylarsonic acid in the urine were not influenced by the consumption of seafood. Exposure to trimethylarsine doubled the concentration of arsenate and increased the concentration of methylarsonic acid drastically (0.5 to 5 μg As g⁻¹ creatinine). The concentration of dimethylarsinic acid was elevated after the first consumption of fish (2.8 to 4.3 μg As g⁻¹ creatinine), after the second consumption of fish (4.9 to 26.5 μg As g⁻¹ creatinine) and after exposure to trimethyl- arsine (2.9 to 9.6 μg As g⁻¹ creatinine). As expected, the concentration of arsenobetaine in the urine increased 30- to 50-fold after the first consumption of codfish. Surprisingly, the concentration of arsenobetaine also increased after exposure to trimethylarsine, from a background of approximately 1 μg As g⁻¹ creatinine up to 33.1 μg As g⁻¹ creatinine. Arsenobetaine was detected in all the urine samples investigated. The arsenobetaine in the urine not ascribable to consumed seafood could come from food items of terrestrial origin that—unknown to us—contain arsenobetaine. The possibility that the human body is capable of metabolizing trimethyl- arsine to arsenobetaine must be considered. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Arsenic Compounds in Terrestrial Organisms II: Arsenocholine in the Mushroom Amanita muscaria

Arsenic compounds were identified and quantified in the mushroom Amanita muscaria, collected close to a facility that had roasted arsenic ores. The powdered dried mushrooms were extracted with methanol/water (9:1), the extracts were concentrated and the concentrates were dissolved in water. The resulting solutions were chromatographed on anion-exchange, cation-exchange and reversed- phase columns. Arsenic was detected on-line with an ICP–MS detector equipped with a hydraulic high-pressure nebulizer. Arsenite, arsenate, dimethylarsinic acid and the tetramethylarsonium cation were minor arsenic compounds (∼2% each of the total 22 mg kg⁻¹ dry mass), and arsenobetaine, arsenocholine (∼15% each) and several unidentified arsenic compounds (∼60%) were the major arsenic compounds in Amanita muscaria. The presence of arsenocholine (detected for the first time in a terrestrial sample) was ascertained by matching retention times in the anion-exchange, cation- exchange and reversed-phase chromatograms with the retention time of synthetic arsenocholine bromide and chromatographing extracts spiked with arsenocholine bromide. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Arsenic Compounds in Zoo- and Phyto-plankton of Marine Origin

Major water-soluble arsenic compounds accumulated in some zoo- and phyto-plankton were identified. Zooplankton were collected at sampling stations in the Sea of Japan by a Norpac net towed from 600 m depth to the surface. Phytoplankton were cultivated under axenic conditions. Water-soluble arsenic compounds were extracted repeatedly from plankton tissues by aqueous methanol. The arsenic compounds in the extracts were analyzed by HPLC–ICP/MS. Among zooplankton analyzed in the present study, two carnivorous species, i.e. Amphipoda ( Themisto sp.) and Sagittoidea ( Sagitta sp.), contained arsenobetaine as the dominant arsenic species. Arsenobetaine was the major species in Euphausiacea ( Euphausia sp.), also. The most abundant arsenic compound in the herbivorous Copepoda species ( Calanus sp.), on the other hand, was an arsenic-containing ribofuranoside with a sulfate ester group, and arsenobetaine was only a minor component. Phytoplankton contained arsenic-containing ribofuranosides apparently in a species-speific manner. The arsenic compounds in zooplankton seem to reflect their feeding habit; i.e. carnivorous species eating zooplankton or other small animals accumulate arsenobetaine, while herbivorous ones eating phytoplankton accumulate arsenic-containing ribofuranosides as major arsenic compounds.