A novel strategy to determine As, Cr, Hg and V in drinking water by ICP-MS/MS

Author(s)

Amaral, Clarice D. B. ^{[1, 2]} ; Amais, Renata S. ^{[3, 1]} ; Fialho, Lucimar L. ^[1] ; Schiavo, Daniela ^[4] ; Amorim, Tatiane ^[4] ; Nogueira, Ana Rita A. ^[2] ; Rocha, Fabio R. P. ^[3] ; Nobrega, Joaquim A. ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Fed Sao Carlos, Dept Chem, BR-13565905 Sao Carlos, SP - Brazil

^[2] Embrapa Southeast Livestock, BR-13560970 Sao Carlos, SP - Brazil

^[3] Univ Sao Paulo, Ctr Nucl Energy Agr, BR-13416000 Piracicaba, SP - Brazil

^[4] Agilent Technol Brazil, BR-06460040 Barueri, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: ANALYTICAL METHODS; v. 7, n. 3, p. 1215-1220, 2015.
• Web of Science Citations: 22

Abstract

This work demonstrates the potential of inductively coupled plasma tandem mass spectrometry (ICP-MS/MS) in trace element analysis. Aiming Hg determination in water, sample preservation requires chloride addition, which presents formation of polyatomic interfering ions as a drawback for the determination of other analytes (e. g. As and V). Thus, the effect of chloride on As, Cr, V and Hg determination and the feasibility of using ICP-MS/MS to circumvent the interference were evaluated. A standard reference material (NIST SRM 1643e) and recoveries from tap water spiked with As, Cr, Hg and V were used for accuracy assessment and for the evaluation of matrix effects. The reaction between Hg and oxygen gas is not favorable in the octopole reaction system (ORS3). Therefore, Hg was accurately determined as a single atom ion (Hg-202(+)) under the same analytical conditions adopted for As, Cr and V determination by monitoring (AsO+)-As-75-O-16, (CrO+)-Cr-52-O-16 and (VO+)-V-51-O-16 while the ORS3 was pressurized with oxygen gas. The oxygen reaction mode significantly improved the accuracy for As, Cr and V, especially at the lowest spiked level, which is strongly affected by matrix effects. The signal gain in m/z 75 for a solution containing 1 mu g L-1 As in 0.48 mol L-1 chloride medium was 1974% when employing single quadrupole mode. On the other hand, the signal increased only 7% when 0.75 mL min(-1) O-2 was used in mass shift mode proving the efficiency of the MS/MS mode. Thus, ICP-MS/MS and ORS3 pressurized with O-2 gas effectively reduced the interference, and enhanced the accuracy and sensitivity for some specific isotopes in a complex medium. The limits of detection for V ((VO+)-V-51-O-16), Cr ((CrO+)-Cr-52-O-16), As ((AsO+)-As-75-O-16) and Hg (Hg-202(+)) were estimated to be 2, 3, 1.6 and 38 ng L-1 at the 99.7% confidence level, respectively. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 13/26857-5 - Total concentrations and chemical speciation of As, Cr and Se using low pressure monolithic columns and inductively coupled plasma techniques
• Grantee: Renata Stábile Amais
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 11/23498-9 - Advanced flow systems for technological, agronomical and environmental analysis
• Grantee: Elias Ayres Guidetti Zagatto
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants