Study on wet digestion method for determination of total arsenic in marine organisms by continuous flow arsine generation and atomic absorption spectrometry using some model compounds.

Abstract

A wet digestion method to determine total arsenic in marine organisms by continuous flow arsine generation and atomic absorption spectrometry was studied using some model compounds. Conditions for the generation of arsine were also studied for inorganic arsenite and arsenate, methylarsonic acid, dimethylarsinic acid, and phenylarsonic acid. The methylated arsenic species, phenylarsonic acid and arsenobetaine were completely decomposed to inorganic arsenate by the wet oxidation with nitric acid-perchloric acid-sulfuric acid system; an addition of nickel ion in the digestion process was not needed. Perchloric acid was essential to the complete decomposition of arsenobetaine when digestion was carried out on a hot plate.