Fast automated method for the direct determination of total antimony in grape juice samples by hydride generation and atomic fluorescence spectrometric detection without external pretreatment

Sensitive and isotopic interference-free analysis of Sb using hydride generation-microwave plasma torch-mass spectrometry under ambient condition

A sensitive and isotopic interference-free analysis method for Sb was developed based on hydride generation-microwave plasma torch-mass spectrometry (HG-MPT-MS). Compared to the conventional ICP-MS, MPT coupled to an ion trap mass spectrometer enabled much "softer" ionization of Sb under ambient condition, which provided multi-detection modes and various ion forms, such as Sb+, SbO+, SbO2-, SbO++H2O and so on. These ion formations can be easily regulated by tuning capillary voltage and tube lens voltage, which facilitated elimination of isotopic interference during analysis, for instance the interference of 123Te on 123Sb could be effectively excluded by optimizing parameters of capillary voltage and tube lens voltage. The potential application of HG-MPT-MS for Sb isotope ratio analysis was also demonstrated, which could be determined in different forms, e.g., 123Sb/121Sb or 123Sb16O/121Sb16O. The value of 123Sb/121Sb was determined to be 0.75110 ± 0.00038 (2σ, n > 50). In addition, the detection limit, linearity and spike recovery were also studied. Overall, HG-MPT-MS performed equally well on detection limit (0.05 μg/L) with ICP-MS or HG-AFS. The linearity (R2 = 0.998) was checked in the concentration range of 10-500 μg/L. Spike recovery were evaluated with two soil samples, and the obtained spike recovery ranged 90-100 %. In general, HG-MPT-MS was expected to be a versatile tool for study the biochemical or geochemical behaviors of Sb and other hydride forming elements under ambient condition in a much simpler and more efficient way.

On-site monitoring of dissolved Sb species in natural waters by an automatic system using flow injection coupled with hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometer

Antimony (Sb) is a toxic and potentially carcinogenic element in the environment. The toxicity of Sb(III) is ten times that of Sb(V). Therefore, on-site monitoring technique for dissolved Sb species is crucial for the study of Sb environmental processes. In this study, an automated, portable, and cost-effective system was developed for field simultaneous analysis of Sb(III) and Sb(III + V) in natural waters. The system comprised a portable atomic fluorescence spectrometer equipped with a built-in electrochemical H2 generator to reduce the consumption of acid/borohydride solution and make the atomizer more stable for on-site analysis. Flow injection technique was also used to achieve on-line pretreatment of water samples, including filtration, acidification, pre-reduction, and hydride generation procedures. Under the optimal conditions, the limits of detection (3σ, n = 11) of the developed method were 0.015 μg/L and the linear ranges were 0.05-5.0 μg/L for both Sb(III) and Sb(III + V). The relative standard deviations (n = 11) of the spiked samples of Sb(V) were 3.2% (0.05 μg/L), 3.3% (0.2 μg/L), and 1.7% (0.5 μg/L), respectively. The spiked recoveries of lake water, treated wastewater, and seawater ranged from 97.0% to 108.5%. The novel system of flow injection coupled with hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometer (FI-HG-AFS) was applied to carry out an 18-h fixed-point monitoring at a secondary settling tank of a wastewater treatment facility in Xiamen University, and a 6-h real-time underway analysis in the surface seawater of Dongshan Bay, China, proving that the system was capable of long-term monitoring in the field.

Simultaneous Measurement of Trace Levels of Hg, As, Sb, and Bi in Coastal Seawater with a Multichannel Chemical Vapor Generation Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometer

Trace levels of Hg, As, Sb, and Bi in coastal seawater have been simultaneously detected by a laboratory-built multichannel chemical vapor generation coupled to an atomic fluorescence spectrometer. The system was configured with a built-in electrochemical H2 generator as the fuel supplier to replace chemical H2 produced by the oxidation of potassium borohydride under acidic conditions in traditional instruments. The electrochemical H2 generator not only isolated the atomization process from the chemical vapor injection process but also improved the stability of atomization, excitation, and fluorescence emission in the hydrogen flame, making it easier to optimize conditions for CVG while introducing evaporating multielement vapors. Calibrations were obtained using a mixed standard solution of Hg(II), As(III), Sb(III), and Bi(III). The addition of KBr to a 3% (v/v) HCl solution was selected as the preservative to ensure the stability of 0.10 μg/L Hg(II) in a multielement standard solution for at least 15 days while also preserving μg/L levels of As(III), Sb(III), and Bi(III) stable. The method detection limits (LOD, 3σ) were 0.001, 0.015, 0.010, and 0.005 μg/L for Hg, As, Sb, and Bi, respectively. The relative standard deviations (RSD, n = 7) of the standard spiked seawater samples were 3.2% (0.020 μg/L Hg), 1.2% (0.50 μg/L As), 1.0% (0.50 μg/L Sb), and 3.5% (0.050 μg/L Bi), respectively. The recoveries of seawater samples spiked with different salinities were in the range of 84.5%(Sb)-114%(Hg). The system has been successfully applied to the simultaneous analysis of the four elements in the seawater samples collected from Xiamen Bay, Southeast China.