Determination of trace arsenic, antimony, selenium and tellurium in various oxidation states in water by hydride generation and atomic-absorption spectrophotometry after enrichment and separation with thiol cotton

Abstract

A novel procedure for determination of trace As(III) and As(V), Sb(III) and Sb(V), Se(IV) and Se(VI), Te(IV) and Te(VI) in water by atomic-absorption spectrophotometry after separation and enrichment with “thiol cotton” and hydride generation has been established. The sorption behaviour of various oxidation states of arsenic, antimony, selenium and tellurium, and the conditions of quantitative sorption and desorption of these species were studied. The procedures for reducing species from higher oxidation states were optimized. Interferences from other species and their elimination were investigated. The selectivity of the procedure for the determination of species in higher and lower oxidation states was examined. The procedure has been successfully used to determine arsenic, antimony, selenium and tellurium in water, in the range from pg ml to ng ml . The recoveries for added spikes were in the range 90–110%, with coefficients of variation in the range 3–8%