Thiol groups controls on arsenite binding by organic matter: new experimental and modeling evidence

Arsenic-dissolved organic matter complexation in water soluble extracts from lignite

Arsenic in groundwater is a global threat to public health. Recently, As mobility has been tied to the concentration and chemical characteristics of dissolved organic matter (DOM) through formation of As-DOM complexes. To date, there has been a wide range of DOM types studied to understand As-DOM interactions, but most of these have focused on surface water derived materials and not groundwater DOM. We address this gap in knowledge by simulating groundwater DOM using water extractable organic matter (WEOM) from two lignite deposits and treating the extracts with increasing concentrations of As. As-DOM complexes were measured using size-exclusion chromatography coupled to multiple detectors including an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICPMS) for As detection as well as fluorescence and variable wave detectors for organic matter detection. First, we found two different size fractions of As-DOM, one of ∼1 kDa and another of ∼15 kDa, depending on the DOM types. The smaller As-DOM complex (∼1 kDa) was approximately 10 times more abundant than the larger complex (∼15 kDa). Second, we found that the lignite derived DOMs showed higher conditional distribution coefficients than did the surface water reference material (Suwanee River Natural Organic Matter, SRNOM). Finally, the data showed good fit (R2 > 0.92) to one-site ligand binding models, and the lignite derived DOMs showed higher maximum sorbate concentrations (Bmax) compared to SRNOM. Together, this study shows that As-DOM complexation is an important control on As speciation, even in groundwater systems.

Impact of aquatic humic substances on speciation and toxicity of arsenic and cobalt to Ceriodaphnia dubia

Humic substances (HS) interact with trace metals such as As and Co, affecting their mobility and availability in aquatic systems. However, their combined effects on toxicity to aquatic organisms are not totally understood. The objective of this study was to evaluate the toxicity of Co(II) and As(III) to the water flea Ceriodaphnia dubia in the presence of HS, considering element speciation. Toxicity assays were performed in the presence and absence of HS at two different concentrations of As(III) (10 and 20 μg/L) and Co(II) (50 and 100 μg/L). The free As(III) and Co(II) (< 1 kDa, fraction most potentially bioavailable) in the test solutions were determined via ultrafiltration. While free Co(II) decreased by approximately 80% in the presence of HS, free As(III) decreased just by 1%. Despite the higher percentage of As(III) potentially bioavailable, the presence of HS reduced significantly the toxicity of As at 20 μg/L (no toxicity was observed at 10 μg/L). This was attributed to direct effects of HS such as hormesis, hormone-like effects of HS and/or formation of protective coating. These effects also stimulated the reproduction, including in the assays in the absence of As and Co. HS reduced the toxicity of Co(II) at both test concentrations. The results of this investigation support that HS should be considered when safe limits for As and Co are defined.

Soil humic acid and arsenite binding by isothermal titration calorimetry and Dynamic Light Scattering: Thermodynamics and aggregation

The arsenite-humic acid binding process was investigated using Isothermal Titration Calorimetry (ITC), Dynamic Light Scattering and Laser Doppler Electrophoresis techniques. The ITC data were successfully (R² = 0.996-0.936) interpreted by applying the MNIS model, enabling thermodynamic parameters to be determined. The MNIS model was adjusted to the arsenite-HA binding process assuming that hydrogen bonding is the dominant type of interaction in the system. Negative enthalpy change values indicated the arsenite-HAs binding as an exothermic process. Negative ΔG values (-(26.83-27.00) kJ mol^-1) pointed out to spontaneous binding reaction, leading to the formation of the arsenite-HA complexes. The binding constant values ((7.57-5.02) 10⁵ M^-1) clearly demonstrate pronounced binding affinity. As ΔS values are obviously positive but close to zero, and ΔH>ΔS, the reaction can be considered enthalpy driven. Reaction heats and ΔH values (-(18.96-15.64) kJ mol^-1) confirmed hydrogen bonds as the most ascendant interaction type in the arsenite-HA complex. Negative zeta potential values (-45 to -20 mV) had shown that arsenite-HA aggregates remained negatively charged in the whole molar charge ratio range. The HAs' aggregate size change is evident but not particularly pronounced (Z_av = 50-180 nm). It can be speculated that aggregation during the titration process is not expressive due to repulsive forces between negatively charged arsenite-HA particles. Thermodynamic and reaction parameters clearly indicated that arsenite-HA complexes are formed at common soil pH values, confirming the possible influence of humic acids on increased As mobility and its reduced bioavailability.

Effects of organic sulfur and arsenite/dissolved organic matter ratios on arsenite complexation with dissolved organic matter

The speciation and fate of arsenic (As) in soil-water systems is a topic of great interest, in part due to growing awareness of As uptake into rice as an important human exposure pathway to As. Rice paddy and other wetland soils are rich in dissolved organic matter (DOM), leading to As/DOM ratios that are typically lower than those in groundwater aquifers or that have been used in many laboratory studies of As-DOM interactions. In this contribution, we evaluate arsenite (As(III)) binding to seven different DOM samples at As/DOM ratios relevant for wetland pore waters, and explore the chemical properties of the DOM samples associated with high levels of As(III)-DOM complexation. We integrate data from wet chemical analysis of DOM chemical properties, dialysis equilibrium experiments, and two-site ligand binding models to show that in some DOM samples, 15-60% of As(III) can be bound to DOM at environmentally-relevant As/DOM ratios of 0.0032-0.016 μmol As/mmol C. Binding decreases as the As(III)/DOM ratio increases. The organic sulfur (S_org) content of the DOM samples was strongly correlated with levels of As(III)-DOM complexation and "strong" binding site densities, consistent with theories that thiols are strong binding ligands for As(III) in natural organic matter. Finally, a whole-cell E. coli biosensor assay was used to show that DOM samples most effective at complexing As(III) also led to decreased microbial As(III) uptake at low As/DOC ratios. This work demonstrates that naturally-occurring variations in the S_org content of DOM has a significant impact on As(III) binding to DOM, and has implications for As(III) availability to microorganisms.

Time-Dependent Biosensor Fluorescence as a Measure of Bacterial Arsenic Uptake Kinetics and Its Inhibition by Dissolved Organic Matter

Microbe-mediated transformations of arsenic (As) often require As to be taken up into cells prior to enzymatic reaction. Despite the importance of these microbial reactions for As speciation and toxicity, understanding of how As bioavailability and uptake are regulated by aspects of extracellular water chemistry, notably dissolved organic matter (DOM), remains limited. Whole-cell biosensors utilizing fluorescent proteins are increasingly used for high-throughput quantification of the bioavailable fraction of As in water. Here, we present a mathematical framework for interpreting the time series of biosensor fluorescence as a measure of As uptake kinetics, which we used to evaluate the effects of different forms of DOM on uptake of trivalent arsenite. We found that thiol-containing organic compounds significantly inhibited uptake of arsenite into cells, possibly through the formation of aqueous complexes between arsenite and thiol ligands. While there was no evidence for competitive interactions between arsenite and low-molecular-weight neutral molecules (urea, glycine, and glyceraldehyde) for uptake through the aquaglyceroporin channel GlpF, which mediates transport of arsenite across cell membranes, there was evidence that labile DOM fractions may inhibit arsenite uptake through a catabolite repression-like mechanism. The observation of significant inhibition of arsenite uptake at DOM/As ratios commonly encountered in wetland pore waters suggests that DOM may be an important control on the microbial uptake of arsenite in the environment, with aspects of DOM quality playing an important role in the extent of inhibition. IMPORTANCE The speciation and toxicity of arsenic in environments like rice paddy soils and groundwater aquifers are controlled by microbe-mediated reactions. These reactions often require As to be taken up into cells prior to enzymatic reaction, but there is limited understanding of how microbial arsenic uptake is affected by variations in water chemistry. In this study, we explored the effect of dissolved organic matter (DOM) quantity and quality on microbial As uptake, with a focus on the role of thiol functional groups that are well known to form aqueous complexes with arsenic. We developed a quantitative framework for interpreting fluorescence time series from whole-cell biosensors and used this technique to evaluate effects of DOM on the rates of microbial arsenic uptake. We show that thiol-containing compounds significantly decrease rates of As uptake into microbial cells at environmentally relevant DOM/As ratios, revealing the importance of DOM quality in regulating arsenic uptake, and subsequent biotransformation, in the environment.

Asymmetrical Flow Field-Flow Fractionation Methods for Quantitative Determination and Size Characterization of Thiols and for Mercury Size Speciation Analysis in Organic Matter-Rich Natural Waters

Asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation (AF4) efficiently separates various macromolecules and nano-components of natural waters according to their hydrodynamic sizes. The online coupling of AF4 with fluorescence (Fluo) and UV absorbance (UV) detectors (FluoD and UVD, respectively) and inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) provides multidimensional information. This makes it a powerful tool to characterize and quantify the size distributions of organic and inorganic nano-sized components and their interaction with trace metals. In this study, we developed a method combining thiol labeling by monobromo(trimethylammonio)bimane bromide (qBBr) with AF4–FluoD to determine the size distribution and the quantities of thiols in the macromolecular dissolved organic matter (DOM) present in highly colored DOM-rich water sampled from Shuya River and Lake Onego, Russia. We found that the qBBr-labeled components of DOM (qB-DOM) were of humic type, characterized by a low hydrodynamic size (dh &lt; 2 nm), and have concentrations &lt;0.3 μM. After enrichment with mercury, the complexes formed between the nano-sized components and Hg were analyzed using AF4–ICP-MS. The elution profile of Hg followed the distribution of the UV-absorbing components of DOM, characterized by slightly higher sizes than qB-DOM. Only a small proportion of Hg was associated with the larger-sized components containing Fe and Mn, probably inorganic oxides that were identified in most of the samples from river to lake. The size distribution of the Hg–DOM complexes was enlarged when the concentration of added Hg increased (from 10 to 100 nM). This was explained by the presence of small iron oxides, overlapping the size distribution of Hg–DOM, on which Hg bound to a small proportion. In addition, to provide information on the dispersion of macromolecular thiols in colored DOM-rich natural water, our study also illustrated the potential of AF4–FluoD–UVD–ICP-MS to trace or quantify dynamic changes while Hg binds to the natural nano-colloidal components of surface water.

Enhanced arsenic migration in tailings soil with the addition of humic acid, fulvic acid and thiol-modified humic acid

Humus is an important parameter to affect the environmental fate of arsenic (As) in tailing soil. According to the batch and column experiment, the effects of humus (HS) including humic acid (HA), fulvic acid (FA) on the As release and basic properties of soil were studied in the soil from a mining region. In addition, HA was modified by 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (3-MPTS) with different sulfur content (S%) to improve the release capacity of As. The results indicated that HS could destroy the binding of As with Fe, Mn, Al and Ca without affecting the basic properties of tailings soil, thus achieving the co-release of As and associated metals. Besides, the As release capacity of FA (25.47 %) was slightly higher than that of HA (21.90 %). The ability of thiol-modified HAs to release As from tailings soil after being modified with different S% of 3-MPTS was significantly improved, of which 2 % had the best treatment. The thiol groups (-SH) reached 45.00 % of total S. With the increase of S%, the surface thoil content, aromatization degree and total reduction capacity (TRC) of HA increased. The study demonstrated that HS and thiol-modified HA could promote the migration of As and could advance the treatment of heavy metal contaminated tailing soil.

The differential inhibitive effects and fates of As(III) and As(V) mediated by Sulfobacillus thermosulfidooxidans grown on S0, Fe2+ and FeS2

Arsenic often coexists with metal sulfide minerals and occurs in different speciation and different toxicity in responding to Fe/S biooxidation. The differential inhibitive effects and fates of As(III) and As(V) during biooxidations of elemental sulfur (S⁰), ferrous ions (Fe²⁺) and pyrite (FeS₂) by Sulfobacillus thermosulfidooxidans were studied. The results revealed that the arsenic species hardly changed for the biooxidation of S⁰, but dramatically changed for the biooxidation of Fe²⁺ and FeS₂. Different transformation degree between As(III) and As(V) occurred for biooxidation of FeS₂ in the presence of arsenic, where about 72% of As(III) was transformed to As(V) for the group with As(III) added, and 16% of As(V) was transformed to As(III) for that with As(V) added. Both formation and dissolution of amorphous ferric arsenate occurred during biooxidation of FeS₂ with the addition of As(III) or As(V) and for the group grown on Fe²⁺ with added As(V), which were controlled by the changes of Fe/As molar ratio and pH value in the solution. Jarosite was detected for the group grown on Fe²⁺ and could adsorb As(III) and As(V). The inhibitive effects of As(V) were higher than As(III) when the strain grew on FeS₂, which was contrary to those when the strain grew on S⁰ and Fe²⁺. The above results signify that the fates and inhibitive effects of arsenic are much related to each other, and such a relationship is significantly affected by the utilization of Fe/S energy substrates by the sulfur- and ferrous-oxidizing microorganisms.

Effects of humus on the mobility of arsenic in tailing soil and the thiol-modification of humus

The ability of thiol-modified humic acids (HAs) to release arsenic in tailings soil after being modified with different sulfur-containing reagents were significantly improved. The structure and physicochemical properties of humic acid (HA) before and after thiol-modification were characterized. The 3-MPTS-HA treated with 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (3-MPTS) effectively improved the mobility of arsenic, and its reducing ability was increased from 2 mmol g^-1 to 3.54 mmol g^-1. The S content of humic acids were also significantly increased after treatment with sulfur-containing reagents, in which the oxygen-containing functional group (e.g., C = O, C-O) on the surface of HA may be the active sites for binding with sulfur-containing reagents. It was found in the XPS spectrum that because the thiol group is easily oxidized, there are many S forms in thiol-modified HA. The -SH content in Na₂S·9H₂O-HA, l (+)-Cysteine-HA (Cys-HA), thioglycolic acid (TGA-HA) and 3-MPTS-HA was determined by fluorescence method to be 13.9, 78.45, 90.34, and 192.29 μmol g^-1, respectively. The study demonstrated that surface thiol modification can increase the abundance of thiol in HA and enhance reactivity, which will further promote the application of HA in the treatment of heavy metal contaminated tailing soil.

Effect of natural organic matter on thallium and silver speciation

Natural organic matter (NOM) is known to play an important role in the transport and binding of trace metal elements in aquatic and soil systems. Thallium is a pollutant for which the extent of the role played by NOM is poorly known. Consequently, this study investigates thallium(I) and its complexation to a purified humic substance as proxy for NOM. Experiments were performed with the Donnan Membrane Technique to separate, for the first time, the free Tl⁺ ion from its complexed form in the bulk solution. Various pH and concentrations were investigated at constant ionic strength and constant NOM proxy concentrations in solution. Experimental results were described with NICA-Donnan model. Thallium complexation was compared to silver complexation using literature data and using the same NICA-Donnan formalism. Parameters for these two cations (Tl⁺ and Ag⁺) are reported in this article, for the first time. Results display low thallium complexation to the NOM proxy while silver competes with divalent cations for the NOM binding sites. Calculated speciation for dissolved thallium highlights the dominance of free thallium (Tl⁺) in solution whereas Tl-NOM complexes contribute roughly 15% to total Tl(I) species in river and lake type waters. Similar results are obtained for soil solutions, Tl-bound to NOM < 30% of total, from UK soils with different land use and geochemistry.

A review of arsenic interfacial geochemistry in groundwater and the role of organic matter

Recent discoveries on arsenic (As) biogeochemistry in aquifer-sediment system have strongly improved our understanding of As enrichment mechanisms in groundwater. We summarize here the research results since 2015 focusing on the As interfacial geochemistry including As speciation, transformation, and mobilization. We discuss the chemical extraction and speciation of As in environmental matrices, followed by As redox change and (im)mobilization in typical minerals and aquifer system. Then, the microbial-assisted reductive dissolution of Fe (hydr)oxides and As transformation and liberation are summarized from the aspects of bacterial isolates, microbial community and gene analysis by comparing As rich groundwater cases worldwide. Finally, the potential effect of organic matter on As interfacial geochemistry are addressed in the aspects of chemical interactions and microbial respiring activities for Fe and As reductive release.

Antimonite Binding to Natural Organic Matter: Spectroscopic Evidence from a Mine Water Impacted Peatland

Peatlands and other wetlands are sinks for antimony (Sb), and solid natural organic matter (NOM) may play an important role in controlling Sb binding. However, direct evidence of Sb sequestration in natural peat samples is lacking. Here, we analyzed solid phase Sb, iron (Fe), and sulfur (S) as well as aqueous Sb speciation in three profiles up to a depth of 80 cm in a mine water impacted peatland in northern Finland. Linear combination fittings of extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectra showed that Sb binding to Fe phases was of minor importance and observed only in the uppermost layers of the peatland. Instead, the dominant (to almost exclusive) sequestration mechanism was Sb(III) binding to oxygen-containing functional groups, and at greater depths, increasingly Sb(III) binding to thiol groups of NOM. Aqueous Sb speciation was dominated by antimonate, while antimonite concentrations were low, further supporting our findings of much higher reactivity of Sb(III) than Sb(V) toward peat surfaces. Insufficient residence time for efficient reduction of antimonate to antimonite currently hinders higher Sb removal in the studied peatland. Overall, our findings imply that Sb(III) binding to solid NOM acts as an important sequestration mechanism under reducing conditions in peatlands and other high-organic matter environments.

Complexation of Arsenite, Arsenate, and Monothioarsenate with Oxygen-Containing Functional Groups of Natural Organic Matter: An XAS Study

Arsenic (As) is reported to be effectively sorbed onto natural organic matter (NOM) via thiol coordination and polyvalent metal cation-bridged ternary complexation. However, the extent of sorption via complexation with oxygen-containing functional groups of NOM is poorly understood. By equilibrating arsenite, arsenate, and monothioarsenate with purified model-peat, followed by As K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopic analysis, this study shows that complexation with oxygen-containing functional groups can be an additional or alternative mode of As sorption to NOM. The extent of complexation was highest for arsenite, followed by monothioarsenate and arsenate. Complexation was higher at pH 7.0 compared to 4.5 for arsenite and arsenate and vice versa for monothioarsenate because of partial transformation to arsenite at pH 4.5. Modeling of the As K-edge extended X-ray absorption fine structure data revealed that As···C interatomic distances were relatively longer in arsenate- (2.83 ± 0.01 Å) and monothioarsenate-treated peat (2.80 ± 0.02 Å) compared to arsenite treatments (2.73 ± 0.01 Å). This study suggests that arsenite was predominantly complexed with carboxylic groups, whereas arsenate and monothioarsenate were complexed with alcoholic groups of the peat. This study further implies that in systems, where NOM is the major sorbent, arsenate and monothioarsenate can have higher mobility than arsenite.

Microbially Mediated Release of As from Mekong Delta Peat Sediments

Peat layers within alluvial sediments are considered effective arsenic (As) sinks under reducing conditions due to the binding of As(III) to thiol groups in natural organic matter (NOM) and the formation of As-bearing sulfide phases. However, their possible role as sources of As for anoxic groundwaters remains unexplored. Here, we perform laboratory experiments to provide evidence for the role of a sediment peat layer in releasing As. Our results show that the peat layer, deposited about 8,000 years ago in a paleomangrove environment in the nascent Mekong Delta, could be a source of As to porewater under reducing conditions. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) analysis of the peat confirmed that As was bound to NOM thiol groups and incorporated into pyrite. Nitrate was detected in peat layer porewater, and flow-through and batch experiments evidenced the release of As from NOM and pyrite in the presence of nitrate. Based on poisoning experiments, we propose that the microbially mediated oxidation of arsenic-rich pyrite and organic matter coupled to nitrate reduction releases arsenic from this peat. Although peat layers have been proposed as As sinks in earlier studies, we show here their potential to release depositional- and/or diagenetically-accumulated As.

Monothioarsenate Transformation Kinetics Determining Arsenic Sequestration by Sulfhydryl Groups of Peat

In peatlands, arsenite was reported to be effectively sequestered by sulfhydryl groups of natural organic matter. To which extent porewater arsenite can react with reduced sulfur to form thioarsenates and how this affects arsenic sequestration in peatlands is unknown. Here, we show that, in the naturally arsenic-enriched peatland Gola di Lago, Switzerland, up to 93% of all arsenic species in surface and porewaters were thioarsenates. The dominant species, monothioarsenate, likely formed from arsenite and zerovalent sulfur-containing species. Laboratory incubations with sulfide-reacted, purified model peat showed increasing total arsenic sorption with decreasing pH from 8.5 to 4.5 for both, monothioarsenate and arsenite. However, X-ray absorption spectroscopy revealed no binding of monothioarsenate via sulfhydryl groups. The sorption observed at pH 4.5 was acid-catalyzed dissociation of monothioarsenate, forming arsenite. The lower the pH and the more sulfhydryl sites, the more arsenite sorbed which in turn shifted equilibrium toward further dissociation of monothioarsenate. At pH 8.5, monothioarsenate was stable over 41 days. In conclusion, arsenic can be effectively sequestered by sulfhydryl groups in anoxic, slightly acidic environments where arsenite is the only arsenic species. At neutral to slightly alkaline pH, monothioarsenate can form and its slow transformation into arsenite and low affinity to sulfhydryl groups suggest that this species is mobile in such environments.

Characteristics of arsenic in humic substances extracted from natural organic sediments

The stability and dispersion of naturally occurring As have been receiving increasing attention, because As is toxic and its contamination is a widespread problem in many countries. This study investigated As fractionation and speciation in organic sediments collected from different depositional settings to elucidate the existence of stable As in humic substances. Eleven organic sediment samples were collected from marine and terrestrial alluvial regions in Hokkaido prefecture, Japan, and the chemical fraction of As and species of humic substances were identified by sequential extraction. In addition, stable As bound in organic matter was evaluated by FT-IR spectroscopy. The As fraction mainly comprised inorganic substances, especially sulfur, iron, and manganese, and terrestrial sediments (lacustrine and inland deposits) were rich in sulfides and Fe and Al (hydr)oxides. When the residual fraction was excluded, the organic fraction of As was higher in seawater sediments than in terrestrial sediments. Among humic substances, cellulose, humic acid, and hydrophilic fulvic acid were clearly associated with As accumulation, and As speciation showed that the As was of organic origin. Cellulose, an organic compound of plant origin, was abundant in As=S and As (III)=O bonds, and As accumulation was higher in sulfur-rich peat sediments, corresponding with the physiological activities of As in plants. Hydrophilic fulvic acid and humic acid in these sediments, originating from small animals and microorganisms in addition to plants, denote higher As contents and abound in As (III, V)=C and C-H, CH₃ bonds even in sulfur-rich sediments. The methylated As bonds reflect the ecological transition of organisms.

May humic acids or mineral fertilisation mitigate arsenic mobility and availability to carrot plants (Daucus carota L.) in a volcanic soil polluted by As from irrigation water?

Carrot (Daucus carota L.) is a widely consumed root vegetable, whose growth and safety might be threatened by growing-medium arsenic (As) contamination. By this work, we evaluated the effects of humic acids from Leonardite and NPK mineral fertilisation on As mobility and availability to carrot plants grown for 60 days in a volcanic soil irrigated with As-contaminated water - representing the most common scenario occurring in As-affected Italian areas. As expected, the irrigation with As-contaminated water caused a serious toxic effect on plant growth and photosynthetic rate; the highest rate of As also inhibited soil enzymatic activity. In contrast, the organic and mineral fertilisation alleviated, at least partially, the toxicity of As, essentially by stimulating plant growth and promoting nutrient uptake. The mobility of As in the volcanic soil and thus its phytoavailability were differently affected by the organic and mineral fertilisers; the application of humic acids mitigated the availability of the contaminant, likely by its partial immobilisation on humic acid sorption sites - thus raising up the intrinsic anionic sorption capacity of the volcanic soil; the mineral fertilisation enhanced the mobility of As in soil, probably due to competition of P for the anionic sorption sites of the soil variable-charge minerals, very affine to available P. These findings hence suggest that a proper soil management of As-polluted volcanic soils and amendment by stable organic matter might mitigate the environmental risk of these soils, thus minimising the availability of As to biota.

Effects of Fe(III) and quality of humic substances on As(V) distribution in freshwater: Use of ultrafiltration and Kohonen neural network

Humic substances (HS) are ubiquitous organic compounds able to affect mobility and availability of arsenic (As) in aquatic systems. Although it is known that associations between HS and As occur mainly via iron (Fe)-cationic bridges, the behaviour and distribution of this metalloid in HS- and Fe-rich environments is still not fully understood. In this paper, the quality of HS from different rivers in Brazil and Germany and its influence on the behaviour of As(V) under different Fe(III) concentrations were investigated. HS were extracted from four different rivers (Cascatinha, Holtemme, Selke and Warme Bode), characterised and fractionated into different molecular weight sizes (10, 5 and 1 kDa). Complexation tests were performed using an ultrafiltration system and 1 kDa membranes. All data was analysed using the Kohonen neural network (SOM - Self organising maps). All samples, except Selke, exhibited similar results of free As (<1 kDa). The results suggested that associations between HS, Fe and As were dependent on nitrogen (N)-aromatic carbon (C), amount of sulphur (S) and the molecular size of the HS. Although all HS appeared to be similar after looking at most variables analysed, the SOM could discriminate them into three different groups. Characterisation of the HS indicated that they had terrestrial material (from C₃ plants) as precursor material. Most of the As and Fe was distributed in the fractions of higher (>10 kDa) and lower (<1 kDa) size. HS quality is an important factor to take into account when studying the behaviour of As in HS-rich environments.

A new method for thioarsenate preservation in iron-rich waters by solid phase extraction

In order to preserve iron-rich samples for arsenic speciation analysis, mineral acids or EDTA are typically added to prevent oxidation and precipitation of iron. However, when sulfide is present, and thioarsenates ([HAs(V)S(-II)nO4-n](2-), n = 1-4) can form, these methods are unsuitable due to arsenic sulfide precipitation or artifact speciation changes. Here, a new method based on separating the anionic arsenic species from cationic iron in the presence of sulfide via solid phase extraction (SPE) has been investigated. Synthetic solutions containing arsenite, arsenate, monothioarsenate, and trithioarsenate were passed through the anion-exchange resin AG2-X8, after which the resin was washed, eluted, and speciation of each step analyzed by IC-ICP-MS. Retention on the resin of 96.8 ± 0.2%, 98.8 ± 0.2%, and 99.6 ± 0.3% was found for arsenate, monothioarsenate, and trithioarsenate, respectively. Cationic iron (90 μM Fe(II)) was not retained (0.4 ± 0.2%). Uncharged arsenite passed through the resin in the absence of sulfide, while 47.3% of arsenite were retained at tenfold sulfide excess via thiol groups binding to the organic resin structure. Elution with 3 × 15 mL of 0.5 M salicylate, including a soak time, resulted in quantitative recovery of all retained species. Stability of the retained species on the resin was tested with iron-rich, natural waters from a Czech mineral spring. Arsenate, monothioarsenate, dithioarsenate, and trithioarsenate were successfully separated from iron and recovered after 6 d. Thus, SPE presents a viable answer to the problem of preserving arsenic in the presence of both iron and sulfide.