Determination of five arsenic species in rice by liquid chromatography-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry

Abstract

A method was developed for the simultaneous determination of arsenic acid [As (V)], arsenious acid [As (III)], arsenobetaine (AsB), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) in rice by liquid chromatography-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LC-ICP-MS). The extraction reagent was 0.3 mol/L nitric acid with heat-assistant condition for 1.5 h at 95 degrees C. Then, the five arsenic species were separated by an anion exchange column (Dionex IonPac AS19, 250 mm x 4 mm) and detected by ICP-MS. Four kinds of extracted solutions were compared through the extraction efficiency. The concentration of nitric acid, the temperature and the extraction time were optimized. The recoveries of the five arsenic species spiked in rice at two levels ranged from 89.6% to 99.5% with the relative standard deviations (RSDs, n = 5) of 0.6% - 3.6%. The measured values of the arsenic species in standard rice materials were consistent with their standard values. The linear ranges were 0.05 - 200 microg/L for AsB and DMA, 0.10-400 microg/L for As (III) and MMA, 0.15-600 microg/L for As (V). The limits of detection for the five arsenic species were 0.15-0.45 microg/kg. The results showed that the method is much more precise for the risk assessment of the rice. This method is simple, accurate and durable for the determination of arsenic species in rice.