Automated technique for mercury determination at sub-nanogram per litre levels in natural waters

A sensitive automatic technique was developed for the rapid and accurate determination of dissolved mercury in natural waters at ambient levels. The system consisted of a continuous flow vapour generator to convert dissolved mercury(II) into elemental mercury using a reducing agent, a gas-liquid sep...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of analytical atomic spectrometry 1995, Vol.10 (3), p.287-291
Main Authors: COSSA, D, SANJUAN, J, CLOUD, J, STOCKWELL, P. B, CORNS, W. T
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analytical chemistry
Chemistry
Exact sciences and technology
Spectrometric and optical methods
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Summary:A sensitive automatic technique was developed for the rapid and accurate determination of dissolved mercury in natural waters at ambient levels. The system consisted of a continuous flow vapour generator to convert dissolved mercury(II) into elemental mercury using a reducing agent, a gas-liquid separator to strip mercury vapour from the liquid using an argon carrier gas (flow rate of 50 ml per minute), an amalgamation column trapping device consisting of a 2 cm length of gold platinum gauze in a quartz tube, and an atomic fluorescence detector. The detection limit obtained with a 45 ml sample was 0.1 ng per litre. Mercury was detected across the range 0.5-50 ng per litre with a precision of 5 per cent. The sample throughput was 8 samples per h. Strict control measures were required to ensure a mercury-free environment around the instrumentation. This technique could provide useful data in monitoring programmes and for building mass balance budgets.
ISSN:0267-9477
1364-5544
DOI:10.1039/JA9951000287