Speciation of major arsenic species in seawater by flow injection hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry

Arsenic present at 1 μg L^–1 concentrations in seawater can exist as the following species: As(III), As(V), monomethylarsenic, dimethylarsenic and unknown organic compounds. The potential of the continuous flow injection hydride generation technique coupled to atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) was investigated for the speciation of these major arsenic species in seawater. Two different techniques were used. After hydride generation and collection in a graphite tube coated with iridium, arsenic was determined by AAS. By selecting different experimental hydride generation conditions, it was possible to determine As(III), total arsenic, hydride reactive arsenic and by difference non-hydride reactive arsenic. On the other hand, by cryogenically trapping hydride reactive species on a chromatographic phase, followed by their sequential release and AAS in a heated quartz cell, inorganic As, MMA and DMA could be determined. By combining these two techniques, an experimental protocol for the speciation of As(III), As(V), MMA, DMA and non-hydride reactive arsenic species in seawater was proposed. The method was applied to seawater sampled at a Mediterranean site and at an Atlantic coastal site. Evidence for the biotransformation of arsenic in seawater was clearly shown.     

Non-chromatographic hydride generation atomic spectrometric techniques for the speciation analysis of arsenic,antimony, selenium,and tellurium in water samples—a review

Hydride generation (HG) coupled with AAS, ICP–AES, and AFS techniques for the speciation analysis of As, Sb, Se, and Te in environmental water samples is reviewed. Careful control of experimental conditions, offline/online sample pretreatment methods employing batch, continuous and flow-injection techniques, and cryogenic trapping of hydrides enable the determination of various species of hydride-forming elements without the use of chromatographic separation. Other non-chromatographic approaches include solvent extraction, ion exchange, and selective retention by microorganisms. Sample pretreatment, pH dependency of HG, and control of NaBH₄/HCl concentration facilitate the determination of As(III), As(V), monomethylarsonate (MMA), and dimethylarsinate (DMA) species. Inorganic species of arsenic are dominant in terrestrial waters, whereas inorganic and methylated species are reported in seawater. Selenium and tellurium speciation analysis is based on the hydrides generation only from the tetravalent state. Se(IV) and Se(VI) are the inorganic selenium species mostly reported in environmental samples, whereas speciation of tellurium is rarely reported. Antimony speciation analysis is based on the slow kinetics of hydride formation from the pentavalent state and is mainly reported in seawater samples.     

Speciation of inorganic and organic arsenic in marine sediments from La Coru?a estuary

The speciation of As(III), As(V), MMA and DMA in marine sediments from La Coruña estuary is described. The arsenic species have been separated by ion-exchange chromatography and detected by hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry (HGAAS). The redox potential has been determined in order to relate the concentration of arsenic species to this parameter.     

Speciation of inorganic and organic arsenic in marine sediments from La Coruña estuary

The speciation of As(III), As(V), MMA and DMA in marine sediments from La Coruña estuary is described. The arsenic species have been separated by ion-exchange chromatography and detected by hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry (HGAAS). The redox potential has been determined in order to relate the concentration of arsenic species to this parameter.     

Arsenic species analysis in freshwater using liquid chromatography combined to hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry

A novel pretreatment system and method for arsenic species continuous analysis of arsenite, arsenate, monomethylarsenate (MMA) and dimethylarsonate (DMA) in freshwater using liquid chromatography combined to hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry (LC-HG-AFS) was designed. Arsenic species of As(III), As(V), MMA and DMA in freshwater samples can be well separated, and the analytical time using the developed method is shortened twice compared to the conventional analytical procedure. Besides, the signal of As(V) can be increased by about 50% and the sensitivity to As(V) has been enhanced. The common coexisting ions in freshwater samples have no interferences with arsenic speciation analysis. A sensitive, low cost and interference-free procedure was developed and successfully applied to arsenic speciation in freshwater with the recoveries of four arsenic species within 89.2–106.2%. LC-HG-AFS has good prospects for speciation analysis of trace and ultra trace elements allowing for hydride generation.     

Arsenic speciation in water samples containing high levels of copper: removal of copper interference affecting arsine generation by continuous flow solid phase chelation

A simple continuous flow method is proposed to eliminate copper interference in arsenic speciation by hydride generation, based on the selective retention of this interfering ion in an iminodiacetate chelating resin previous to the hydride generation process. The arsines generated were cold trapped and measured by ICP/OES. The proposed method allows about 98% of the copper present in the samples to be removed. Minor co-retention of As(V) was observed as a result of electrostatic interaction between the arsenate anion and the nitrogen of the iminodiacetate group of the chelating resin Muromac A-1, the charge distribution of which is modified when copper is chelated. The species As(III), MMA and DMA were not retained in the microcolumn, probably because these species are mainly in the molecular form at the working pH value (4.5). In synthetic samples containing 50 g l^–1 of each arsenic species together with 100 mg l^–1 copper, the recoveries obtained were: As(V) 97.6%, As(III) 100%, MMA 99.8%, and DMA 99.9%. The method was applied to arsenic speciation in river water samples containing high levels of copper.     

Determination of arsenite,arsenate, monomethylarsonic acid and dimethylarsinic acid in cereals by hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry

A fast, sensitive and simple non-chromatographic analytical method was developed for the speciation analysis of toxic arsenic species in cereal samples, namely rice and wheat semolina. An ultrasound-assisted extraction of the toxic arsenic species was performed with 1 mol L^− 1 H₃PO₄ and 0.1% (m/v) Triton XT-114. After extraction, As(III), As(V), dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) and monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) concentrations were determined by hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry using a series of proportional equations corresponding to four different experimental reduction conditions. The detection limits of the method were 1.3, 0.9, 1.5 and 0.6 ng g^− 1 for As(III), As(V), DMA and MMA, respectively, expressed in terms of sample dry weight. Recoveries were always greater than 90%, and no species interconversion occurred. The speciation analysis of a rice flour reference material certified for total arsenic led to coherent results, which were also in agreement with other speciation studies made on the same certified reference material.     

Evaluation of atomic fluorescence spectrometry as a sensitive detection technique for arsenic speciation

The potential of coupling anion-exchange high-performance liquid chromatography, hydride generation and atomic fluorescence spectrometry (HPLC–HG–AFS) for arsenic speciation is considered. The effects of hydrochloric acid and sodium tetrahydroborate concentrations on signal-to-background ratio, as well as argon and hydrogen flow rates, were investigated. Detection limits for arsenite, dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) and arsenate were 0.17, 0.45, 0.30 and 0.38 μg l⁻¹, respectively, using a 20-μl loop. Linearity ranges were 0.1–500 ng for As(III) and MMA (as arsenic), and 0.1–800 ng for DMA and As(V) (as arsenic). Arsenobetaine (AsB) was also determined by introducing an on-line photo-oxidation step after the chromatographic separation. In this case the limits of detection and linear ranges for the different species studied were similar to the values obtained previously for As(V). The technique was tested with a human urine reference material and a volunteer's sample. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

On‐Line Determination of Arsenic Species in Sea Water by Selective Hydride Generation Coupled with Inductively Coupled Plasma — Mass Spectrometry

A method for direct de termination of total in organic arsenic (III+V), arsenic (III) and dimethylarsinate (DMA) in sea water was developed by combining continuous‐flow selective hydride generation and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP‐MS) is presented. The principle underlying selective hydride generation is based on proper control of the reaction conditions for achieving separation of the respective arsenic species. The effects of pH and composition of reaction media on mutual interference between the arsenic species were investigated in detail. The results indicate that the appropriate media for the selective determination of total in organic arsenic, DMA and As(III) are 6 M HNO₃, acetate buffer at pH = 4.63 and citrate buffer at pH = 6.54, respectively. The concentrations of total inorganic arsenic species, As(III+V), and As(III) were respectively deter mined and that of As(V) was obtained by the difference between them. As to the concentration of DMA, it was obtained after correction from the interference caused by As(III) and As(V). By following the established procedure, the detection lim its (as based on 3‐sigma criterion) for As(III+V), As(III) and DMA were 0.050, 0.009, and 0.002 ng/mL, respectively. There liability of the pro posed method was evaluated in terms of precision and spike addition. The results indicated that the precision of better than 3% and spike recovery of 95 to 105% for all the arsenic species tested in the natural sea water samples can be obtained.     

Inorganic and Organic Arsenic Speciation in Seawaters by IEC-HG-AAS

Abstract

Arsenic (III), arsenic (V), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) were separated by ion-exchange chromatography. The elution sequence was as follows: 1.5 M ammonia followed by 0.12 M hydrochloric acid yielding As(III) 1 M hydrochloric acid followed by water yielding first As(V) and then MMA. Detection was by hydride generation-atomic absorption spectrometry. No interference was noted from 13 metallic ions.

The method provides a good linearity, precision, accuracy, and sensitivity. It has been applied to the speciation of arsenic in seawaters from the North West coast of Spain (1200 Km).     

Determination of urinary arsenic species using an on-line nano-TiO2 photooxidation device coupled with microbore LC and hydride generation-ICP-MS system

We have developed an on-line digestion device-based on the nano-TiO₂-catalyzed photooxidation of arsenic species—for coupling between microbore anion-exchange chromatography (μ-LC) and hydride generation (HG)-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) systems that can be used for the determination of urinary arsenic species. To maximize the signal intensities of the desired arsenic species, we optimized the photocatalytic oxidation efficiency of the analyte species and developed a rapid on-line pre-reduction process for converting the oxidized species into As(III) prior to HG-ICP-MS determination. Under the optimized conditions for the nano-TiO₂-catalyzed photooxidation-i.e., using 1 g of nano-TiO₂ per-liter, at pH 5.2, and illuminating for 3 min- As(III), monomethylarsenoic acid (MMA), and dimethylarseinic acid (DMA) can be converted quantitatively into As(V). To attain maximal hydride generation efficiency, 0.5% Na₂S₂O₄ solution, which can reduce As(V) to As(III) virtually instantaneously upon on-line mixing, was added as a pre-reductant prior to performing the HG step. In light of all the HG efficiency of tested arsenicals were improved and a segmented-flow technique was employed to avoid the loss of peak resolution when using our proposed on-line μ-LC-UV/nano-TiO₂/HG-ICP-MS, the detection limits for As(III), MMA, DMA, and As(V) were all in the range of sub-microgram-per-liter (based on 3 sigma). A series of validation experiments-analysis of neat and spiked urine samples-indicated that our proposed methods can be applied satisfactorily to the determination of As(III), MMA, DMA, and As(V) in urine samples.     

Complementary chromatography separation combined with hydride generation-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry for arsenic speciation in human urine

This study aimed to establish complementary high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods including three modes of separation: ion pairing, cation exchange, and anion exchange chromatography, with detection by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS). The ion pairing mode enabled the separation of inorganic arsenate (As(V)), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA(V)), and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA(V)). However, the ion pair mode was unable to differentiate inorganic arsenite (As(III)) from arsenobetaine (AsB); instead, cation exchange chromatography was used to isolate and quantify AsB. Anion exchange chromatography was able to speciate all of the aforementioned arsenic species. Potential inaccurate quantification problem with urine sample containing elevated concentration of AsB, which eluted immediately after As(III) in anion exchange or ion pairing mode, was overcame by introducing a post-column hydride generation (HG) derivatization step. Incorporating HG between HPLC and ICPMS improved sensitivity and specificity by differentiating AsB from hydride-forming arsenic species. This paper emphasizes the usefulness of complementary chromatographic separations in combination with HG-ICPMS to quantitatively determine concentrations of As(III), DMA(V), MMA(V), As(V), and AsB in the sub-microgram per liter range in human urine.     

Speciation of Arsenic in Rice by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography–Hydride Generation-Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometry with Microwave-Assisted Extraction

Arsenic speciation in paddy rice is of considerable interest due to its impact on the food safety and human health. In this study, a simple methodology was developed to simultaneously extract and analyze As species in rice from China. Arsenic species, including arsenite (As(III)), arsenate (As(V)), dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), and monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), were extracted by methanol-water (50:50, v/v) containing 0.02 mol L^?1 nitric acid with a microwave-assisted procedure, and then determined by high performance liquid chromatography–hydride generation-atomic fluorescence spectrometry (HPLC–HG-AFS). The results showed that the method has good efficiency (>90%) for rice, indicating that there were no significant losses or transformations of arsenic during sample treatment and analysis. The limits of quantification (LOQ) of the method were 8.0, 20, 12, and 12 ng g^?1 for As(III), As(V), DMA, and MMA, respectively. When this method was applied to the analysis of rice, As(III) had the highest concentration, followed by DMA, As(V), and MMA. The estimated weekly intake of inorganic As from rice by Chinese people accounted for 11.83% of the provisional tolerable weekly intake. The As speciation results in this study suggest that the risk associated with As in rice to human health may be negligible.     

Arsenic speciation in some environmental samples: a comparative study of HG–GC–QFAAS and HPLC–ICP–MS methods

Some water and soil extracts polluted with arsenic, and a sewage sludge certified for total arsenic have been analysed by high‐performance liquid chromatography–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (HPLC–ICP–MS) and hydride generation–gas chromatography– quartz furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (HG–GC–QFAAS techniques.) Detection limits in the range of 200–400 and 2–10 ng l⁻¹ respectively allowed the determination of inorganic [As(III), As(V)] and methylated (DMA, MMA, TMAO) arsenic species present in these samples. Results obtained by both methods are well correlated overall, whatever the arsenic chemical form and concentration range (8–10 000 μg l⁻¹). Comparison of these results enabled us to point out features and disadvantages of each analytical method and to reach a conclusion that they are suitable for arsenic speciation in these environmental matrices. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Arsenic speciation in aqueous samples using a selective As(III)/As(V) preconcentration in combination with an automatable cryotrapping hydride generation procedure for monomethylarsonic acid and dimethylarsinic acid

Differentiation between As(III) and As(V) is accomplished using earlier developed selective preconcentration methods (carbamate and molybdate mediated (co)precipitation of As(III) and As(V) respectively) follewed by AAS detection of the (co)precipitates. Apart from this, separation of methylated arsenic species is performed by an automatable system comprising a continuous flow hydride generation unit in which monomethylarsonic acid (MMAA) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMAA) are converted into their corresponding volatile methylarsines, monomethylarsine (MMA) and dimethylarsine (DMA) respectively. These species are cryogenically trapped in a Teflon-line stainless stell U-tube packed with a gas chromatographic solid-phase and subsequently separated by selective volatilization. A novel gas drying technique by means of a Perma Pure dryer was applied successfully prior to trapping. Detection is by atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS). MMAA and DMAA are determined with absolute limits of detection of 0.2 and 0.5 ng, respectively. Investigation of the behaviour of the methylarsines in the system was conducted with synthesized⁷³As labeled methylated arsenic species. It was found that MMA is taken through the system quantitatively whereas DMA is recovered for about 85%. The opumized system combined with selective As(III)/As(V) preconcentration has been tested out for arsenic speciation of sediment interstitial water from the Chemiehaven at Rotterdam. The obtained concentrations are 28.5, 26.8 and 0.60 ng·ml^–1 for As(III), As(V) and MMAA, respectively, whereas the DMAA concentration was below 0.16 ng·ml^–1.     

Stability study of As(III), As(V), MMA and DMA by anion exchange chromatography and HG-AFS in wastewater samples

The stability of arsenic species (arsenate [As(V)], monomethylarsonate [MMA], dimethylarsinate [DMA] and arsenite [As(III)]) in two types of urban wastewater samples (raw and treated) was evaluated. Water samples containing a mixture of the different arsenic species were stored in the absence of light at three different temperatures: +4 degrees C, +20 degrees C and +40 degrees C. At regular time intervals, arsenic species were determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-hydride generation (HG)-atomic fluorescence spectrometry (AFS). The experimental conditions for the separation of arsenic species by HPLC and their determination by AFS were directly optimised from wastewater samples. As(III), As(V), MMA and DMA were separated on an anion exchange column using phosphate buffer (pH 6.0) as the mobile phase. Under these conditions the four arsenic species were separated in less than 10 min. The detection limits were 0.6, 0.9, 0.9 and 1.8 micro g L(-1) for As(III), DMA, MMA and As(V), respectively. As(V), MMA and DMA were found stable in the two types of urban wastewater samples over the 4-month period at the three different temperatures tested, while the concentration of As(III) in raw wastewater sample decreased after 2 weeks of storage. A greater stability of As(III) was found in the treated urban wastewater sample. As(III) remained unaltered in this matrix at pH 7.27 over the period studied, while at lower pH (1.6) losses of As(III) were detected after 1 month of storage. The results show that the decrease in As(III) concentration with time was accompanied by an increase in As(V) concentration.     

微波辅助提取-液相色谱-氢化物发生-原子荧光光谱法分析沉积物中砷的形态

采用微波辅助提取-液相色谱-氢化物发生-原子荧光光谱法(LC-HG-AFS)联用技术分析了太湖沉积物中砷的形态[亚砷酸(As(III))、二甲基砷酸钠(DMA)、一甲基砷酸二钠(MMA)和砷酸As(V)]。测得沉积物中以无机砷为主,且以As(V)居多。选定以1mol/L的磷酸和0.1mol/L抗坏血酸为提取液,在微波辅助萃取(功率为60W,时间12min)下,萃取率达79.84%～91.57%,回收率在94.78%～107.6%之间。4种砷的形态在0～160μg/L之间时线性良好,检测限为0.6～2.3μg/L,相对标准偏差RSD为1.62%～2.20%。方法具有简便、快速、灵敏的特点。     

Non-chromatographic speciation of toxic arsenic in vegetables by hydride generation-atomic fluorescence spectrometry after ultrasound-assisted extraction

A non-chromatographic, sensitive and simple analytical method has been developed for the determination of toxic arsenic species in vegetable samples by hydride generation-atomic fluorescence spectrometry (HG-AFS). As(III), As(V), dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) and monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) were determined by hydride generation-atomic fluorescence spectrometry using a series of proportional equations. The method is based on a single extraction of the arsenic species considered from vegetables through sonication at room temperature with H(3)PO(4) 1 mol L(-1) in the presence of 0.1% (w/v) Triton XT-114 and washing of the solid phase with 0.1% (w/v) EDTA, followed by direct measurement of the corresponding hydrides in four different experimental conditions. The limit of detection of the method was 3.1 ng g(-1) for As(III), 3.0 ng g(-1) for As(V), 1.5 ng g(-1) for DMA and 1.9 ng g(-1) for MMA, in all cases expressed in terms of sample dry weight. Recovery studies provided percentages greater than 91% for all considered species in spiked samples of chards and aubergines. Total toxic As found in the aforementioned samples was at the level of 90 ng g(-1); As(III) is followed by As(V), DMA and MMA which are the main species of As in chards being As(V) the main As compound in aubergines.     

Use of perchloric acid as a reaction medium for speciation of arsenic by hydride generation-atomic absorption spectrometry

Simple and inexpensive methods for the speciation of arsenite, arsenate, monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) in environmental water samples were developed. In these methods a hydride generation-atomic absorption spectrometry (HG-AAS) technique was employed and perchloric acid (as a reaction medium), L-cysteine (as a pre-reducing agent for a certain contact time between its addition and analysis) and sodium tetrahydroborate(III) (NaBH4, as a reducing agent) were used. The use of L-cysteine greatly enhances the absorption signals of all four arsenic species at low acid concentration (0.001-0.04 M). The methods developed for the determination of total arsenic and total inorganic arsenic and speciation of the four arsenic species in environmental water samples are as follows. (i) DMA: 0.005 M acid and 0.04% NaBH4 in the absence of L-cysteine. DMA can also be speciated in the presence of L-cysteine as follows: 2 M acid, 2.5% L-cysteine after a contact time of approximately 5 min and 0.6% NaBH4. (ii) As(III): 5 M acid and 0.08% NaBH4 in the absence of L-cysteine. (iii) Total inorganic arsenic (As(III) + As(V)]: 8 M acid and 0.6% NaBH4 in the absence of L-cysteine. (iv) Total arsenic: 0.01 M acid, 5% L-cysteine after a contact time of 5 min and 2% NaBH4. (v) MMA: 8 M acid, 3% L-cysteine after a contact time of 50 min and 0.6% NaBH4. (vi) As(V): by difference. Detection limits and recoveries of added spikes for all analyses were found to be 0.5-1.7 ppb and 90-112% respectively.     

Ion-Exchange Method for Analysis of Four Arsenic Species and its Application to Tap Water Analysis

Abstract

Arsenic (III), arsenic (V), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) were separated by ion-exchange chromatography. The elution sequence was as follows: 1.5 M ammonia followed by 0.12 M hydrochloric acid yielding As(III); 1 M hydrochloric acid followed by water yielding first As(V) and then MMA. Detection was performed by hydride generation-atomic absorption spectrometry.

The possible interferences of 13 metallic ions have been studied and none of them was found to interfere.

The method provides good linearity, precision, accuracy, and sensitivity. It has been applied to the speciation of arsenic in tap water samples from North West of Spain (a region about 29500 Km²).