Atomic absorption detection arsenite

The most useful chemical species in the analysis of arsenic is the volatile hydride, namely arsine (AsH3, bp -55°C). Analytical methods based on the formation of volatile arsines are generally referred to as hydride, or arsine, generation techniques. Arsenite is readily reduced to arsine, which is easily separated from complex sample matrices before its detection, usually by atomic absorption spectrometry (33). A solution of sodium borohydride is the most commonly used reductant. Because arsenate does not form a hydride directly, arsenite can be analyzed selectively in its presence (34). Specific analysis of As(III) in the presence of As(V) can also be effected by selective extraction methods (35). 

Arsenic species were preconcentrated on Zipax, a pellicular anion exchange material and separated on a column packed with high performance liquid chromatography grade strong anion exchange resin, then continuously reduced with sodium tetrahydroborate and detected by atomic absorption spectrometiy. Detection limits were 2ng for arsenite, arsenate and monomethylarsinate and lng for dimethylarsonate. 

Andreae described a method for the sequential determination of arsenate, arsenite, mono-, di- and trimethyl arsine, MMAA, DMAA and trimethylarsine oxide in natural waters with detection limits of several ng/1. The arsines are volatilized from the sample by gas stripping the other species are then selectively reduced to the corresponding arsines and volatilized. The arsines are collected in a cold trap cooled with liquid nitrogen. They are then separated by slow warming of the trap or by gas chromatography, and measured with atomic absorption, electron capture and/or flame ionization detectors. He found that these four arsenic species all occurred in natural water samples. 

Ricci and coworkers have described a highly sensitive, automated technique for the determination of MMAA, DMAA, p-aminophenyl arsonate, arsenite and arsenate. This procedure is based on ion-chromatography on a Dionex column, with 0.0024 M NaHC03/0.0019 M NajCOj/O.OOl M Na2B407 eluent, when all the compounds except arsenite and dimethyl arsinite are separated effectively. For separation of the last two, a lower ionic strength eluent (0.005 M Na2B407) can be used in a separate analysis. The detection system utilizes a continuous arsine generation system followed by heated quartz furnace atomization and atomic absorption spectrometry. Detection limits of less than 10 ng/ml were obtained for each species. 

Many other detectors have been used to monitor ion chromatography separations. Most of these detectors have been used only in special cases. Flame photometric detection [72, 73] has been used to detect alkali, alkaline earth, and some rare earth metals. Atomic absorption (AA) detectors [74-76] have been used for arsenite, arsenate, monomethyl arsenate, dimethyl arsinate, and p-aminophenoarsenate separations. Detectors of this type can be extremely sensitive detecting arsenic down to 10 ng/mL. 

Common gas chromatographic detectors that are not element- or metal-specific, atomic absorption and atomic emission detectors that are element-specific, and mass spectrometric detectors have all been used with the hydride systems. Flame atomic absorption and emission spectrometers do not have sufficiently low detection limits to be useful for trace element work. Atomic fluorescence [37] and molecular flame emission [38-40] were used by a few investigators only. The most frequently employed detectors are based on microwave-induced plasma emission, helium glow discharges, and quartz tube atomizers with atomic absorption spectrometers. A review of such systems as applied to the determination of arsenic, associated with an extensive bibliography, is available in the literature [36]. In addition, a continuous hydride generation system was coupled to a direct-current plasma emission spectrometer for the determination of arsenite, arsenate, and total arsenic in water and tuna fish samples [41]. 

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