Speciation analysis of inorganic arsenic in coal samples

A new method was developed for the speciation of inorganic arsenic in coal samples by liquid chromatography coupled to hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry after microwave-assisted extraction. Effective extract of As(III), As(V) in coal sample was achieved by 1.0mol.L-1 H3PO4 and 0.1 mol.L(-1)ascorbic acid. Under the optimized conditions, the limits of detection were 0.01 mu g.L-1 and 0.02 mu g.L-1 for As(III), As(V). The relative standard deviation were 2.4 %, 3.3 % (c = 20.0 mu g.L-1, n=7). The proposed method was successfully applied for the determination of speciation of inorganic arsenic in coal samples and GBW11117.