Arsenic speciation in environmental samples by hydride generation and electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

For the past few years many studies have been performed to determine arsenic (As) speciation in drinking water, food chain and other environmental samples due to its well-recognized carcinogenic and toxic effects relating to its chemical forms and oxidation states. This review provides an overview of analytical methods, preconcentration and separation techniques, developed up to now, using HGAAS and ETAAS for the determination of inorganic As and organoarsenic species in environmental samples. Specific advantages, disadvantages, selectivity, sensitivity, efficiency, rapidity, detection limit (DL), and some aspects of recent improvements and modifications for different analytical and separation techniques, that can define their application for a particular sample analysis, are highlighted. HG-AAS has high sensitivity, selectivity and low DL using suitable separation techniques; and it is a more suitable, affordable and much less expensive technique than other detectors. The concentrations of HCI and NaBH4 have a critical effect on the HG response of As species. Use of L-cysteine as pre-reductant is advantageous over KI to obtain the same signal response for different As species under the same, optimum and mild acid concentration, and to reduce the interference of transition metals on the arsine generation. Use of different pretreatment, digestion, separation techniques and surfactants can determine As species with DL from ng L-1 to mu g L-1. Out of all the chromatographic techniques coupled with HGAAS/ETAAS, ion-pair reversed-phase chromatography (IP-RP) is the most popular due to its higher separation efficiency, resolution selectivity, simplicity, and ability to separate up to seven As species for both non-ionic and ionic compounds in a signal run using the same column and short time. However, a combination of anion- and cation-exchange chromatography seems the most promising for complete resolution up to eight As species. The ETAAS method using different separation techniques and chemical modifiers can determine As species in seawater with DL of 0.02 mu g L-1, eliminate interferences of transition metals, improve the selectivity of the measurement, and enhance the sensitivity. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.