Recent improvements in sample collection and analytical techniques have suggested that As(III) is more prevalent in groundwater than previously believed. Indeed, reducing conditions in alluvial aquifers supplying single families may result in significant exposures to naturally occurring As(III). These results are noteworthy because As(III) is both more toxic and more mobile in the environment than As(V). The literature contains contradictory information concerning the appropriate preservation and analytical techniques for determining As(III). It appears that several previously reported occurrences of As(V) may have been predominantly As(III), but the samples were either not preserved or analyzed properly. For example, separation of arsenic species by ion exchange is apparently necessary to obtain reliable analytical results for certain environmental samples. The problems encountered with investigating As(III) in the environment are due to the complex series of geochemical reactions undergone by a...

A review of arsenic (III) in groundwater

http://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/978-94-011-1344-1_4.pdf

Methods of analysis for heavy metals in soils

The application of inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) to the analysis of soil and biological materials was reviewed in 1982 for this book series (Soltanpour et aI., 1982). Over the last 14 yr many studies in soil science have incorporated data obtained on ICP-AES instrumentation, and many advances in the ICP-AES field have been made. In addition, inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) has become commercially available. The purpose of this chapter is to review basic ICP principles; highlight some of the applications of ICP-AES in the study of soils; and present an overview of some of the instrumental features, capabilities, and limitations of the ICP-MS for application to soil science work. Relatively new developments in ICP-AES include: suspension nebulization analysis of clays (Laird et aI., 1991); interfacing ICP spectrometers with flow injection analyzers for automatic dilution, calibration, separation, concentration, standard additions and many other operations (Greenfield, 1983; LaFemiere et aI., 1985); interfacing ICP-AES with liquid chromatographs for concentration and speciation of elements (Roychowdhury & Koropchack, 1990); high salt neulizers to prevent clogging of nebulizers (Legere & Burgener, 1985); successful use of concentration and elimination or reduction of spectral interference techniques such as chelation/solvent extraction (Huang & Wai, 1986;

Inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry.

Selenium in environmental waters: Determination, speciation and concentration levels.

Analytical techniques applied to the speciation of selenium in environmental matrices

In the simultaneous determination of arsenic, antimony, bismuth, selenium and tellurium by measurement of the atomic line emission from the elements in an inductively coupled plasma source after their introduction as the gaseous hydrides, two types of possible interferences were investigated. Mutual interferences between the analytes were found to be negligible under the operating conditions used. The presence of certain metal ions in solution resulted in low recoveries of some of the analytes, especially selenium and tellurium. However, this could be overcome by prior separation of the analytes by co-precipitation on lanthanum hydroxide.

Simultaneous determination of trace concentrations of arsenic, antimony, bismuth, selenium and tellurium in aqueous solution by introduction of the gaseous hydrides into an inductively coupled plasma source for emission spectrometry. Part I. Preliminary studies

S. J. Walton

Papers

Simultaneous determination of trace concentrations of arsenic, antimony, bismuth, selenium and tellurium in aqueous solution by introduction of the gaseous hydrides into an inductively coupled plasma source for emission spectrometry. Part I. Preliminary studies

The determination of tin in geochemical samples by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry