Aleksandra Łyko

Application of Ion Chromatography with ICP-MS or MS Detection to the Determination of Selected Halides and Metal/Metalloids Species

Speciation analytics as determination of various forms of elements is becoming more and more popular and valuable in areas such as environmental protection, biochemistry, geology, medicine, pharmaceuticals, and food product quality control. Its growing importance is related to the fact that what often decides the toxicological properties of a given element or compound is not its total content but the presence of its various forms, especially ionic. Determination of low concentrations of analytes requires complex and sophisticated analytical methods and techniques. The latest trends in this area concern the so-called “hyphenated techniques,” in which the separation and various detection methods are combined. This article is a review of possible uses of ion chromatography in combination with ICP-MS and MS detectors for the speciation analytics of selected halides as well as metals and metalloids species.

Development and validation of HPLC–ICP-MS method for the determination inorganic Cr, As and Sb speciation forms and its application for Pławniowice reservoir (Poland) water and bottom sediments variability study

The optimization of methodology for determination and extraction of inorganic ionic As(III)/As(V), Cr(III)/Cr(VI) and Sb(III)/Sb(V) forms in water and easily-leached fractions of bottom sediments by HPLC-ICP-MS were studied. In paper total concentration of As, Cr, Sb, pH and redox potential were determined. Ions were successfully separated on Dionex IonPac AS7: As(III), As(V), Sb(III), Sb(V) and Dionex IonPac AG7: Cr(III), Cr(VI) with LOD 0.18 μg/L, 0.22 μg/L, 0.009 μg/L, 0.012 μg/L 0.11 μg/L, 0.17 μg/L, respectively. Water and bottom sediments samples were collected monthly from Pławniowice Reservoir, in three-point transects between March and December 2012. In the bottom water predominated As(III) and Cr(III) forms and the highest content of Cr(III) was in the water flowing into the Pławniowice Reservoir. Concentration of Cr(VI) increased in the bottom water in the spring and summer (April-July), while decreasing of the Cr(III) content was associated with the release of Cr(VI) from sediment into the water. Studies have shown that antimony accumulates in reservoir sediments and its reduced form was predominated except May and October-November period when high concentrations of Sb(V) was present. In contrast As(V) was the predominant arsenic form in bottom sediments.

Application of hyphenated techniques in speciation analysis of arsenic, antimony, and thallium.

Due to the fact that metals and metalloids have a strong impact on the environment, the methods of their determination and speciation have received special attention in recent years. Arsenic, antimony, and thallium are important examples of such toxic elements. Their speciation is especially important in the environmental and biomedical fields because of their toxicity, bioavailability, and reactivity. Recently, speciation analytics has been playing a unique role in the studies of biogeochemical cycles of chemical compounds, determination of toxicity and ecotoxicity of selected elements, quality control of food products, control of medicines and pharmaceutical products, technological process control, research on the impact of technological installation on the environment, examination of occupational exposure, and clinical analysis. Conventional methods are usually labor intensive, time consuming, and susceptible to interferences. The hyphenated techniques, in which separation method is coupled with multidimensional detectors, have become useful alternatives. The main advantages of those techniques consist in extremely low detection and quantification limits, insignificant interference, influence as well as high precision and repeatability of the determinations. In view of their importance, the present work overviews and discusses different hyphenated techniques used for arsenic, antimony, and thallium species analysis, in different clinical, environmental and food matrices.

Determination of bromate in water samples using post column derivatization method with triiodide.

This paper describes the application of the method of post-column derivatization with triiodide and UV detection at 352 nm for the determination of bromate in drinking water, mineral water and swimming pool water samples. Optimized analytical conditions were further validated in terms of accuracy, precision, linearity, limit of detection and limit of quantification. The method detection limit was at the level of 0.4 μg/L, and the spiked recovery for bromate was in the range of 92% – 104%. The method did not need a special sample treatment and was successfully applied to the analysis of bromate at the required value that is below 2.5 μg/L.

Bromate Determination: State of the Art

Bromate has been identified as an animal and possible human carcinogen. The main source of bromate for humans is ozonated drinking water, although other sources such as bread, fish, and mineral water are also essential. Due to its hazardous properties, the concentration of bromate in food has to be controlled. Determination of trace amounts of bromate requires application of sensitive, selective, and reliable analytical methods. This article is a review of bromate methods of determination in different sample matrices published in the past 25 years.

Variability in different antimony, arsenic and chromium species in waters and bottom sediments of three water reservoirs in Upper Silesia (Poland): a comparative study

ABSTRACT Migration of metals/metalloids and their inorganic forms from bottom sediments into waters and from waters into bottom sediments is a complex process. Understanding this mechanism is essential for recognising transformations that occur in water reservoir ecosystems. The following research was conducted in 2012–2014. The aim was to define the time and spatial correlations in the changes of total and ionic antimony, arsenic and chromium concentrations in waters and bottom sediments of three water reservoirs located in Upper Silesia (Poland), i.e. Pławniowice, Rybnik and Goczałkowice. The ionic form contents were determined with high-performance liquid chromatography-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (HPLC-ICP-MS). The research was carried out to verify whether the bottom sediments deposited in the discussed reservoirs could have posed an environmental threat due to the possible release of toxic ionic forms (i.e. As(III), Sb(III) and Cr(VI)) into the pelagic zone. The comparison of the research results obtained for three reservoirs (being under different anthropopressure influence) enabled the researchers to describe the bioavailability of specific elements and their species. It also helped to discern the existing environmental threats for such water reservoirs and their users.