Synthesis and characterization of isotopically enriched methylmercury (CH3201Hg+)

A simple procedure for the synthesis of an important standard, isotopically enriched methylmercury, which is not commercially available, has been established successfully. The isotopically enriched standard synthesized is utilized in conventional isotope dilution mass spectrometry (IDMS), as well as in speciated IDMS (SIDMS), for determination of the true concentration of methylmercury in environmental samples. The CH₃²⁰¹Hg⁺ standard has been synthesized from commercially available ²⁰¹HgO and tetramethyltin. The synthesis time required is 1 h at 60°C. The product is highly pure, yielding more than 90% as ²⁰¹Hg in CH₃²⁰¹Hg⁺. Hazardous dimethylmercury does not occur during this synthesis procedure. The product synthesized was analyzed using high‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP‐MS) and ICP‐MS alone in order to determine its concentration, isotopic composition and purity. The stability of the product was also evaluated for over 6 months and found to be stable at 4°C in the dark. The isotopically enriched methylmercury synthesized can be used in SIDMS and IDMS analyses as a standard. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Inorganic mercury and methylmercury determination in polluted waters by HPLC coupled to cold vapour atomic fluorescence spectroscopy

A systematic study of Hg²⁺ and CH₃Hg⁺ (MeHg⁺) speciation using hyphenated techniques, was performed for high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to on-line UV irradiation and cold-vapour atomic fluorescence spectroscopy (HPLC-UV-CV-AFS). First, a comparative study of the behaviour of three mobile phase compositions (using tetrabutylammonium bromide (TBAB), L-cysteine and ammonium pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate (APDC)) is presented. The separation and detection system was optimised by considering factors that modify fluorescence signal and the separation such as, the addition of different percentages of an organic modifier (methanol (MeOH) and acetonitrile (ACN)) to the mobile phase, the type of reducing agent used (SnCl₂ and NaBH₄) and the potential memory effects of the material of which the injection system is made (stainless steel, PEEK). The mobile phase selected for its sensitivity was a mixture 80?:?20 MeOH?:?0.0015?mol?l^–1 APDC and 0.01?mol?l^–1 NH₄CH₃COO (pH 5.5). The detection and quantification limits were close to 1.5 and 5?µg?l^?1 for both species (as Hg), respectively. Recoveries obtained using fortified water samples of distinct origin (soft mineral, tap, river, seawater, and wastewater), ranged from 90 to 115% for concentrations about 2 and 20 times over quantification limits. Good repeatability was obtained (about 5%) independently of the concentrations, with reproducibility values about 20% at low concentrations and 5–10% at higher concentrations. Our proposed method proved to be straightforward for use by environmental laboratories for routine Hg²⁺ and MeHg⁺ determinations in polluted water samples.     

Different Species of Mercury in the Livers of Tropical Dolphins

Abstract

Four kinds of mercury species (inorganic mercury (Hg_inorg), methylmercury (MeHg), total organic mercury (ΣHg_org), and insoluble mercury, deemed to be mercuric selenide (HgSe), were determined in the livers of dolphins from the Brazilian coast. The MeHg was identified and quantified in the toluene layer on a Gas Chromatograph with an Electron Capture Detector (GC-ECD). The ΣHg_org was isolated by acid leaching (H₂SO₄-KBr-CuSO₄) and then extracted into CH₂Cl₂. The ΣHg_org and Hg_inorg were determined by Cold-Vapor Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (CV-AAS). The MeHg was the smallest fraction of Hg_tot, with a median of 9%, whereas the highest fraction of the Hg_tot was as HgSe, corresponding to 53%. The fractions of Hg_inorg and ΣHg_org corresponded to 30% and 39%, respectively. The lowest fraction of MeHg and the highest fraction of HgSe in the liver of all animals are related to different capacities or strategies of detoxification of methylmercury in this organ.     

Application of a new focused microwave technology with species-specific isotope dilution analysis for the quantitative extraction of organometallic contaminants in solid environmental matrices

A new self-tuning single-mode-focused microwave technology has been evaluated in this work to perform the quantitative routine extraction of organometallic species from solid matrices of environmental interest. Species-specific isotope dilution analysis has been employed to better investigate the real influence of the microwave-assisted extractions on the final results. The advantages of such methodology in comparison with other established microwave units for the routine speciation analysis of organomercury and organotin compounds are discussed (such as the capability of using disposable glass vials, a self-tuning mode to provide an accurate control of the temperature and pressure inside of the vials, and the possibility of performing automated sequence of extractions with low sample size). The results obtained in this work demonstrated that such technology provides a fast and reliable quantitative extraction of the organometallic species in a wide range of extraction conditions even when the multi-elemental (Sn and Hg) species-specific determination is carried out.     

Determination of methylmercury in organic matrices with gas chromatography/ atomic absorption spectrometry

Determinations of methylmercury in biological tissues by gas chromatography with electron-capture detection are often disturbed by electron-capturing compounds simultaneously eluting with the organo-mercury compound.Identification and quantification of methylmercury is improved by interfacing the gas chromatograph to the gas cell of a flameless atomic absorption spectrometer. The construction of the transfer line used is described.     

Determination of Hg(II) and Methylmercury by Electrothermal Atomic Absorption Spectrometry after Dispersive Solid-Phase Microextraction with a Graphene Oxide Magnetic Material

The toxicity of all species of mercury makes it necessary to implement analytical procedures capable of quantifying the different forms this element presents in the environment, even at very low concentrations. In addition, due to the assorted environmental and health consequences caused by each mercury species, it is desirable that the procedures are able to distinguish these forms. In nature, mercury is mainly found as Hg⁰, Hg²⁺ and methylmercury (MeHg), with the latter being rapidly assimilated by living organisms in the aquatic environment and biomagnified through the food chain. In this work, a dispersive solid-phase microextraction of Hg²⁺ and MeHg is proposed using as the adsorbent a magnetic hybrid material formed by graphene oxide and ferrite (Fe₃O₄@GO), along with a subsequent determination by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS). On the one hand, when dithizone at a pH = 5 is used as an auxiliary agent, both Hg(II) and MeHg are retained on the adsorbent. Next, for the determination of both species, the solid collected by the means of a magnet is suspended in a mixture of 50 µL of HNO₃ (8% v/v) and 50 µL of H₂O₂ at 30% v/v by heating for 10 min in an ultrasound thermostatic bath at 80 °C. On the other hand, when the sample is set at a pH = 9, Hg(II) and MeHg are also retained, but if the solid collected is washed with N-acetyl-L-cysteine only, then the Hg(II) remains on the adsorbent, and can be determined as indicated above. The proposed procedure exhibits an enrichment factor of 49 and the determination presents a linear range between 0.1 and 10 µg L⁻¹ of mercury. The procedure has been applied to the determination of mercury in water samples from different sources.     

水产品中甲基汞测定的液相色谱-原子荧光光谱联用方法的改进

对本实验室前期建立的食品中甲基汞的液相色谱-原子荧光光谱联用测定方法进行了改进。采用无毒的半胱氨酸代替有毒试剂巯基乙醇作为流动相中的配位剂,流动相组成为5%(v/v)乙腈-1 g/L半胱氨酸-50 mmol/L乙酸铵水溶液,使汞化合物分离时间缩短至8 min。在优化条件下,甲基汞标准曲线的线性范围为1～50 μg/L,检出限(S/N=3)为0.3 μg/L。采用超声波辅助5 mol/L HCl提取样品中的甲基汞,提取液经C18固相萃取小柱净化后进样。鱼、虾、贝等不同种类水产动物样品以及水产类膳食样品的甲基汞加标回收率为89%～112%。对标准参考物质NIST1566b、BCR464和GBW10029以及英国食品分析水平评估计划(Food Analysis Performance Assessment Scheme, FAPAS)的罐装鱼肉样品(样品编号07115)的测定结果与参考物定值相符,验证了该方法的可靠性与准确性。本方法可满足食品中甲基汞检测的需要。     

汞的形态分析研究 Ⅱ.固相萃取预富集-液相色谱分离测定不同形态的有机汞

本文报道了固相萃取预富集处理样品继以液相色谱分离测定不同形态痕量有机汞的方法.二乙基二硫代氨基甲酸钠(DDTC)作络合剂及甲醇作洗脱液的预富集系统能在线富集甲基汞(MeHg)、乙基汞(EtHg)和苯基汞(PhHg).用于测定加标海水中MeHg、EtHg和PhHg,回收率分别为96.9％、102.4％和98.0％;相对标准偏差分别为3.5％、5.0％和5.0％;检测下限分别为 1.0μg/L、1.2 μg/L和 1.2 μg/L.     

Model reactions for abiotic mercury(II) methylation: Kinetics of methylation of mercury(II) by mono-, di-, and tri-methyltin in seawater

The usual presence of mercury(II) with monodi-, and tri-methyltin in water, sediments, and plants in estuarine environments suggests possible abiotic formation of methylmercury via methyl transfer from methyltin compounds. Kinetics studies of reactions between mercury(II) and methyltin compounds under pseudo-first-order conditions in seawater show that relative rate of methylmercury formation under the same conditions are: monomethyltin <trimethyltin> dimethyltin. This order is explainable mainly by the speciation and charge of methyltin compounds in seawater and by the existence of mercury(II) as a tetrachloro anion. A factorial experiment with the variables pH and salinity (seawater diluted with deionized water) showed that pH, but not salinity, is significant at the 95% confidence level; and that reaction rates increase as pH increases. These results suggest the possibility of abiotic methylation of mercury(II) in seawater. Additional experiments in seawater demonstrated an absence of methylation of mercury(II) (14 days) and mercury(0) (35 days) by methyl iodide.     

The analysis of organic mercury compounds using liquid chromatography with on-line atomic fluorescence spectrometric detection

A new method for the analysis of organic mercury compounds is reported. The organomercurials are separated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The compounds are converted to mercury(0) in a continuous-flow system by means of an oxidizing and a subsequent reducing solution. The elemental mercury generated is swept into the cell of an atomic fluorescence spectrometer (AFS) by a stream of argon. The compositions of the oxidizing solution, which contains peroxodisulphate and copper(II) in dilute sulphuric acid, and the reducing solution, which contains alkaline tin(II) chloride, were optimized, as were the gas–liquid separator (GLS), the condensing system and the geometry of the reaction coils. The method is applied to extracts of certified reference material (CRM) and to river sediments. High concentrations of methylmercury were found in the sediment samples. At one location, the presence of ethylmercury is derived from the sample chromatogram.