Abstract

Abstract A method was developed for the separation and quantitative determination of arsenite, methanearsonic acid (MAA), dimethylarsinic acid (cacodylic acid or CA), and arsenate by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled to a graphite furnace atomic absorption (GFAA) detector. The compounds are separated on a low capacity anion exchange column with gradient elution from 100+ water-methanol (80 + 20, v/v) to 100% 0.02M (NH4)2CO3-methanol (85 + IS, v/v) at 1.2 mL/min and a pressure of about 300 psi. The HPLC was coupled by an automatic sampling unit to the GFAA through an interface consisting of a Teflon flow-through sampling cup. Limit of detection for the arsenic compounds was about 5 ng As injected in aliquots of 20 μL (0.25 ppm As in solution). All 4 arsenical compounds gave similar calibration curves, which were linear from 0.1 to 2.0 ng for single atomizations in the GFAA and from 5 to 200 ng when multiple, sequential atomizations of HPLC eluant were used to quantitate HPLC peaks. Quenching by soil extracts as well as aqueous HPLC solvents was minimal.

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