Speciation of mercury in different compartments of the environment

Abstract

Sampling, storage and analytical procedures for the speciation of almost all Hg-species in the atmosphere, water, biota and sediments, are described. This speciation includes the differentiation between alkylated and inorganic Hg forms, between various Hg oxidation states and between strongly and labile complexed Hg compounds. Most of the methods are free of interferences due to the combination of specific trapping materials with separation techniques, although cleaning procedures for some particular samples may still be required. Low instrumental detection limits are achieved through the use of atomic fluorescence spectrometers. In some cases, such as in the determination of total Hg concentration in water, the procedural detection limit is determined by the purity of the reagents.