Determination Of Mercury Research Articles

Determination of mercury, cadmium, and nickel in henna samples.

In most countries around the world, henna (Lawsonia inermis) has been widely used for centuries as a traditional cosmetic and therapeutic plant. However, there is a growing concern about the safety and potential toxicity associated with the use of henna. The research aimed to analyze the levels of mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd), and nickel (Ni) in 36 henna samples (red, green, black) from both locally produced and imported products commonly used in Iran. The henna samples analysis was carried out using an atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) system. The level of Hg in all samples was lower than 0.002 µg/g. The levels of Cd and Ni in the samples were at the ranges of 0.25 - 2.05 µg/g (mean = 0.85 µg/g) and 6.7 - 21.8 µg/g (mean = 14.35 µg/g), respectively. The level of Cd in 94.5% of samples was higher than the maximum permissible limits (0.3 µg/g) recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). To our knowledge, this paper is the first investigation into the level of Hg, Cd, and Ni in Iran's henna. The findings from this study showed that levels of Cd and Ni in henna samples used in Iran were high and seemed to pose a threat to health.

Silver nanoparticles prepared from Schinus terebinthifolius extract as new colorimetric sensor for Hg2+ determination

ABSTRACT A colorimetric sensor based on silver nanoparticles for mercury (Hg2+) determination in environmental samples, including stream water, treated water, and drilling fluid has been developed. The silver nanoparticles were synthesised via a biological method using aqueous extract of S. terebinthifolius leaves and characterised by visible spectrophotometry, transition electronic microscopy, dynamic light scattering, and Zeta potential analyses. In addition, the antibacterial activity of the obtained silver nanoparticles and the extract of S. terebinthifolius were also evaluated. The green synthetised silver nanoparticles showed a spherical morphology, high stability, and sensitivity to the presence of Hg2+ and Fe2+, being useful for quantification of both analytes. The obtained calibration curves for Hg2+ showed a R2 of 0.9982 and LOD of 0.10 mg L−1 and for Fe2+, with R2 of 0.9938 and LOD of 0.20 mg L−1. However, reflecting the high environmental concern of Hg2+, it was selected for the sensor´s application. This way, a simple masking alternative using H2 O2 and 1,10- phenanthroline was proposed to minimise potential interferences of Fe2+ on Hg2+ determination. The accuracy and the precision of the proposed sensor, evaluated by recovery tests (80–118%) and relative standard deviation (2–23%), were suitable for Hg2+ determination. The silver nanoparticles also showed promising antibacterial activity, especially against the gram- negative bacterium Escherichia coli. Thus, the colorimetric sensor based on silver nanoparticles presents a viable alternative for determination of Hg2+ with a suitable LOD for environmental samples.

Comparative study of two common methods for the determination of total mercury in soil.

Cold atomic absorption spectrophotometry and atomic fluorescence methods were employed to ascertain the total mercury concentration in soil samples. A systematic comparison and analysis were conducted on the operational procedures, precision and detection limits of these methodologies. The standard curve for total mercury determination in soil using the atomic fluorescence method is y = 851.98x+16.771 (R 2 = 0.9996, 0-2.5 µg l-1), with a detection limit of 0.0006 mg kg-1. This method demonstrates superior precision and accuracy not only for samples with high and medium concentrations but also for those with low concentrations. For the cold atomic absorption spectrophotometry method, the standard curve for total mercury determination is y = 0.0547x + 0.0047 (R 2 = 0.9998, 0-15 µg l-1). For high-concentration samples, the curve is y = 0.0007x - 0.0003 (R 2 = 0.9998, 0-600 µg l-1). The detection limit for this method is 0.06 μg kg-1, indicating better sensitivity and accuracy compared with the atomic fluorescence method. While the precision for low-concentration (0.017 ± 0.003 mg kg-1) samples is moderate, it is higher for medium (0.030 ± 0.003 mg kg-1) and high-concentration (0.590 ± 0.05 mg kg-1) samples. Overall, there is no significant difference between the two detection methods. However, the cold atomic absorption spectrophotometry method has the advantage of not requiring pre-treatment, making it more convenient and environment friendly.

Mercury Determination in Edible Oils—A Combination of Reversed-Phase Dispersive Liquid–Liquid Microextraction and CVG-ICP-MS

Mercury Determination in Edible Oils—A Combination of Reversed-Phase Dispersive Liquid–Liquid Microextraction and CVG-ICP-MS

A Vacuum Ultraviolet (UV) Photoreactor-Based Flow Droplet Digestion for Determination of Arsenic and Mercury in Blood by Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometry.

It is still challenging to perform a high-throughput digestion on limited amounts of sample prior to elemental analysis by atomic spectrometry. Herein, a photochemical reactor consisting of a quartz tube inserted into a low-pressure mercury lamp was used to fabricate a flow droplet photodigestion (FD-PD) device for the high-throughput digestion of small amounts of samples. A mixture containing 20 μL of blood sample, 20 μL of H2O2, and 10 μL of HNO3 was pumped and passed through the reactor before its online analysis by hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry (HG-AFS). The developed photochemical reactor provides significantly higher oxidation capability than conventional ultraviolet (UV) photochemical reactor since the vacuum UV irradiation below 200 nm from the mercury lamp directly irradiates samples with high transmittance, enabling complete digestion within 2 min. Compared to conventional digestion methods, the proposed method retains several unique advantages of higher sample throughput (57 pcs h-1), lower sample, mineral acid, and oxidant consumption, and shorter digestion time, facilitating painless blood analysis for children. Limits of detection (LODs) of 0.25 and 0.15 μg L-1 were obtained for As and Hg, respectively, with precisions (relative standard deviations (RSDs), n = 11, 2.0 μg L-1) better than 4%. The practicality of FD-PD-HG-AFS was confirmed by detecting As and Hg in one blood and two urine certified reference materials (CRMs), as well as several children's blood samples with satisfactory recoveries (93%-109%).

Electrochemical determination of mercury in surface water samples using Au nanoparticles /electrochemically reduced graphene oxide modified electrode

Electrochemical determination of mercury in surface water samples using Au nanoparticles /electrochemically reduced graphene oxide modified electrode

Comparison of the Performance of ICP-MS, CV-ICP-OES, and TDA AAS in Determining Mercury in Marine Sediment Samples.

Mercury (Hg) determination in marine sediment is an analytical challenge due to the toxicity of this element even at low concentrations (up to 130 μg kg-1 in marine sediments) and complex matrices. Therefore, it is necessary to use analytical techniques that have high sensitivity, selectivity, and low limits of quantification (LoQ). In this study, two methods that require sample treatment and one method with direct sampling were studied. The techniques studied were inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry with cold vapor generation (CV-ICP-OES), and atomic absorption spectrometry with thermodecomposition and amalgamation (TDA AAS) for Hg determination in marine sediment samples. Since ICP-MS has more studies in the literature, optimization with design of experiments was developed for CV-ICP-OES and TDA AAS. Although it was found to have low levels of instrumental LoQ for all three techniques, differences were found once the method LoQ was calculated. The calculation for method LoQ considers all analytical procedures executed, including sample treatment, which provides a 100-fold dilution for ICP-MS and CV-ICP-OES. The method LoQ obtained were 1.9, 165, and 0.35 μg kg-1 for ICP-MS, CV-ICP-OES, and TDA AAS, respectively. Comparing marine sediment sample analyses, Hg concentrations had no statistical difference when determined by ICP-MS and TDA AAS. It was not possible to determine Hg in marine sediment samples by CV-ICP-OES due to the high method LoQ obtained (165 μg kg-1). Although ICP-MS has the advantage of being a multielemental technique, it is high-value equipment and needs a large volume of argon, which has a high cost in the market, and it requires sample treatment. On the other hand, TDA AAS-based spectrometer DMA-80 performs direct sampling, avoiding the pretreatment stage, and has a relatively lower cost, both in terms of initial investment and maintenance, while maintaining the high sensitivity, accuracy, and precision required for Hg determination on marine sediment samples.

Rapid Determination of Toxic Trace Metals As, Hg, Tl, and Pb in Hair by Monochromatic Excitation X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometry.

Monochromatic excitation X-ray fluorescence (ME-XRF) spectrometry emerges as a novel technique in trace element analysis, distinguished by its simplicity, rapidity, and efficiency. Its application in forensic toxicology has grown significantly for identifying toxic trace metals in biological samples. This study further expands its utility by developing a method for the rapid determination of arsenic (As), mercury (Hg), thallium (Tl), and lead (Pb) in hair samples. Calibration curves were established using analytical reference samples, and optimal detection conditions were determined and validated. The LODs for As, Hg, Tl, and Pb were 0.03, 0.03, 0.03, and 0.05μgg-1, respectively. Method precision was evaluated through seven parallel analyses of samples within the concentration range of 0.27 to 20.051μgg⁻1, with relative standard deviations (RSDs) consistently below 10%. The feasibility of the ME-XRF technique for forensic toxicology analysis was validated through the analysis of authentic poisoned hair samples collected from the animal experiment.

Repurposing eggshell membrane, a natural food waste, for in-syringe membrane solid phase extraction: Mercury determination in water samples

Repurposing eggshell membrane, a natural food waste, for in-syringe membrane solid phase extraction: Mercury determination in water samples

Automated simultaneous determination of mercury and copper in edible oils by reversed-phase column-based extraction with deep eutectic solvent

Automated simultaneous determination of mercury and copper in edible oils by reversed-phase column-based extraction with deep eutectic solvent

Effect of Pregnancy on Mercury Concentration in the Body of Free-living Small Rodents.

Relatively little information exists on the effects of mercury on terrestrial wildlife populations. We analyzed 38 free-living small rodent females (Myodes glareolus, Microtus agrestris, and Apodemus flavicolis), of which 11 were pregnant, for total mercury concentrations in combined liver and kidney samples. Using a single-purpose atomic absorption spectrometer for mercury determination, the measured mercury values ranged from 0.006 to 0.079 mg/kg. Pregnant females had significantly (P<0.041) higher mercury levels in liver and kidney than did nonpregnant females. Our results suggest that during mercury biomonitoring studies it is necessary to consider the pregnancy of the analyzed animals.

Plasma-mediated mercury vapor generation after microwave-induced combustion of fish tissue with detection by atomic absorption spectrometry

Plasma-mediated mercury vapor generation after microwave-induced combustion of fish tissue with detection by atomic absorption spectrometry

Determination and contamination status of mercury and other heavy metals in artisanal and small-scale gold mining at Banyumas region, Central Java, Indonesia, using ICP-OES

ABSTRACT The determination of mercury and other heavy metals (As, Cd, Cr, Ni, and Pb) has been carried out as toxic metals for the human body. Sample preparation was carried out by the microwave digested assist. The determination of heavy metals was carried out using the ICP-OES. The validation parameters used were linearity, Limit of Detection (LoD), Limit of Quantitation (LoQ), precision, and accuracy. Mercury, Arsen, Cadmium, Chromium, Nickel, and Lead average content in sediment gold ore processing waste was 1617.64, 5525.09, 20.24, 484.96, 259.67, and 1210.27 μg/kg, respectively. Linearity used a standard solution of 10–1000 μg/kg, and it produced a regression equation with r2 > 0.9992. The Limit of Detection (LoD) and the Limit of Quantitation (LoQ) was below 1.56 μg/kg and 6.27 μg/kg, respectively. The precision was calculated by the repeatability method, with a result of %RSD below 2.30%. Accuracy was obtained by recovering a spiked standard. The recovery value was found to be between 83% and 118%. Geoaccumulation Index (Igeo), Metal Pollution Index (MPI), Degree of Contamination (Cdeg), and Potential Ecological Risk Index (PERI) in this study was −8.62–1.43, 0.02–5.33, 8.80, and 168.59, respectively. The waste processing site at Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining is generally contaminated by mercury and other heavy metals. All the validation parameters of the method are in the acceptability range, so the method can be used as a routine method for determining mercury and other heavy metals (As, Cd, Cr, Ni, and Pb) levels in gold ore processing waste.

Novel Microwave Assisted-Hydrogen Peroxide Digestion of Coal and Fuel Oils Using Methionine as a Capping Reagent for the Determination of Mercury by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES)

A novel analytical method was developed for quantifying total mercury in fuel oils using methionine as a capping reagent. Methionine was added to fuel and standard solutions as a preserving agent before microwave-assisted hydrogen peroxide digestion (MW-AHPD). To the best of our knowledge, it is the first-time methionine was used as a capping reagent for the total determination of mercury in fuel oils using ICP-OES with a pneumatic nebulizer. Multivariate optimization tools (two-level half factorial and central composite design) were used to investigate the most influential parameters of the MW-AHPD method. The best conditions were 0.1 g sample mass, 5 mol L−1 [H2O2], 5. 95 mol L−1 [methionine], 36 min and 200 °C with accepted trueness (93–107%) and precision (1.94%). The developed MW-AHPD procedure provided a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.9989, limit of detection (LOD) of 0.25 µg L−1 and limit of quantification (LOQ) of 0.8 µg L−1. The newly developed MW-AHPD procedure was validated using hydride generation-ICP-OES and there was no statistical difference at 95% confidence level between the newly developed method and the standard protocol. Therefore, the newly developed MW-AHPD procedure was applied with coal, crude oil, gasoline, diesel oil, and kerosine samples and the concentration levels were from 0.876 ± 0.023 to 0.938 ± 0.082 µgg−1, 0.383 ± 0.043 to 0.506 ± 105 µgg−1, 0.306 ± 0.010 to 0.390 ± 0035 µgg−1, 0.360 ± 0.003 to 0.431 ± 0.001 µgg−1 and < DL, respectively.

Application of biochar prepared from wheat bran as the binding phase in diffusive gradient in thin films technique for determination of mercury in natural waters

A novel binding gel for the DGT technique, containing biochar produced through the pyrolysis of wheat bran, was developed. The results of this study indicate that wheat bran biochar (WBBC) is a porous material with a surface area of 25 m2/g. The primary functional group on the surface of WBBC was identified as a carbonyl group, although some hydroxyl and imino groups were also detected. Furthermore, the findings demonstrate that the accumulation of Hg on WBBC was significantly influenced by an increase in ionic strength, particularly in NaCl solution, owing to Hg’s high affinity for chloride ions. The performance of the DGT with WBBC binding gel was also affected by solution pH, with the optimal pH for WBBC application falling within the range of 3–7. The diffusion coefficient of Hg, depending on the matrix environment, varied between 5.44 and 6.99 × 10−6 cm2/s. When applying the newly designed DGT technique to spiked samples of river water, an R value of 0.68 was achieved. The results of this work proved that modified DGT technique allows for a cost-effective analysis of Hg in natural waters with lower salinity, while retaining the fundamental properties of the binding gel incorporating a particulate adsorbent with anchored functional groups.Graphical

A miniaturized flow batch chemical vapor generation system for Hg determination in fish by ICP-MS

A miniaturized flow batch chemical vapor generation system for Hg determination in fish by ICP-MS

Ionic Liquid-Based Solidified Floating Organic Drop Micro-Extraction Followed by Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrometry for the Determination of Mercury in Water Samples

Ionic Liquid-Based Solidified Floating Organic Drop Micro-Extraction Followed by Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrometry for the Determination of Mercury in Water Samples

Dithizone functionalized carbon nanofibers as novel nanomaterial for microextraction and determination of mercury in non-alcoholic beverages

Dithizone functionalized carbon nanofibers as novel nanomaterial for microextraction and determination of mercury in non-alcoholic beverages

Study of 2-Amino-4-aroyl-6-halopyridine-3,5-dicarbonitriles as Reagents for Quantitative Determination of Mercury(II) Ions

Study of 2-Amino-4-aroyl-6-halopyridine-3,5-dicarbonitriles as Reagents for Quantitative Determination of Mercury(II) Ions

Optimization of vortex-assisted supramolecular solvent-based liquid liquid microextraction for the determination of mercury in real water and food samples

Optimization of vortex-assisted supramolecular solvent-based liquid liquid microextraction for the determination of mercury in real water and food samples