Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Photo-induced cold vapor generation with low molecular weight alcohol, aldehyde, or carboxylic acid for atomic fluorescence spectrometric determination of mercury

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

With UV irradiation, Hg2+ in aqueous solution can be converted into Hg0 cold vapor by low molecular weight alcohols, aldehydes, or carboxylic acids, e.g., methanol, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, glycol, 1,2-propanediol, glycerol, acetic acid, oxalic acid, or malonic acid. It was found that the presence of nano-TiO2 more or less improved the efficiency of the photo-induced chemical/cold vapor generation (photo-CVG) with most of the organic reductants. The nano-TiO2-enhanced photo-CVG systems can be coupled to various analytical atomic spectrometric techniques for the determination of ultratrace mercury. In this work, we evaluated the application of this method to the atomic fluorescence spectrometric (AFS) determination of mercury in cold vapor mode. Under the optimized experimental conditions, the instrumental limits of detection (based on three times the standard deviation of 11 measurements of a blank solution) were around 0.02–0.04 μg L−1, with linear dynamic ranges up to 15 μg L−1. The interference of transition metals and the mechanism of the photo-CVG are briefly discussed. Real sample analysis using the photo-CVG-AFS method revealed that it was promising for water and geological analysis of ultralow levels of mercury.

Image of the photo-CVG instrumentation showing the photoreactor inside the water cooling unit

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Harrington CF (2000) Trends Anal Chem 19:167–179

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Environmental Protection Agency (2002) National primary drinking water regulations, chapt 1. Code of federal regulations, title 40, vol 19. EPA, revised as of 1 July 2002, pp 428–429

  3. Capelo JL, Maduro C, Mota AM (2004) J Anal At Spectrom 19:414–416

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Tsalev DL (1999) J Anal At Spectrom 14:147–162

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Long Z, Xin JJ, Hou XD (2004) Spectrosc Lett 37:263–274

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Cava-Montesinos P, Ródenas-Torralba E, Morales-Rubio A, Cervera ML, de la Guardia M (2004) Anal Chim Acta 506:145–153

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Gámiz-Gracia L, de Castro MDL (1999) J Anal At Spectrom 14:1615–1617

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. D’Ulivo A, Loreti V, Onor M, Pitzalis E, Zamboni R (2003) Anal Chem 75:2591–2600

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Sturgeon RE, Mester Z (2002) Appl Spectrosc 56:202A–213A

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Lin YH, Wang XR, Yuan DX, Yang PY, Huang BL (1992) J Anal At Spectrom 7:287–291

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Denkhaus E, Golloch A, Guo XM, Huang BL (2001) J Anal At Spectrom 16:870–878

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Kikuchi E, Sakamoto H (2000) J Electrochem Soc 147:4589–4593

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Wang QQ, Liang J, Qiu JH, Huang BL (2004) J Anal At Spectrom 19:715–716

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Liang J, Wang QQ, Huang BL (2005) Anal Bioanal Chem 381:366–372

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Guo XM, Sturgeon RE, Mester Z, Gardner GJ (2003) Anal Chem 75:2092–2099

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Guo XM, Sturgeon RE, Mester Z, Gardner GJ (2004) Anal Chem 76:2401–2405

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Guo XM, Sturgeon RE, Mester Z, Gardner GJ (2003) Appl Organomet Chem 17:575–579

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Guo XM, Sturgeon RE, Mester Z, Gardner GJ (2003) Environ Sci Technol 37:5645–5650

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Figueroa R, García M, Lavilla I, Bendicho C (2005) Spectrochim Acta Part B 60:1556–1563

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Guo XM, Sturgeon RE, Mester Z, Gardner GJ (2004) Appl Organomet Chem 18:205–211

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Guo XM, Sturgeon RE, Mester Z, Gardner GJ (2005) J Anal At Spectrom 20:702–708

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Zheng CB, Li Y, He YH, Ma Q, Hou XD (2005) J Anal At Spectrom 20:746–750

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Li Y, Zheng CB, Ma Q, Wu L, Hu CW, Hou XD (2006) J Anal At Spectrom 21:82–85

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Bendl RF, Madden JT, Regan AL, Fitzgerald N (2006) Talanta 68:1366–1370

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Li HM, Zhang Y, Zheng CB, Wu L, Lv Y, Hou XD (2006) Anal Sci 22:1361–1365

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Sturgeon RE, Willie SN, Mester Z (2006) J Anal At Spectrom 21:263–265

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Skubal LR, Meshkov NK (2002) J Photochem Photobiol A: Chem 148:211–214

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Chenthamarakshan CR, Yang H, Ming Y, Rajeshwar K (2000) J Eletroanal Chem 494:79–86

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Chen DW, Ray AK (2001) Chem Eng Sci 56:1561–1670

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Brezová V, Tarábek P, Dvoranová D, Staško A, Biskupiě S (2003) J Photochem Photobiol A: Chem 155:179–198

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Wang KH, Jehng JM, Hsieh YH, Chang CY (2002) J Hazard Mat B 90:63–75

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Khriachtchev L, Macôas E, Pettersson M, Räsänen M (2002) J Am Chem Soc 124:10994–10995

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Xin JJ, He RL, Yang QJ, Hou XD (2006) Chem Res Appl (Ch) 18:442–444

    CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of this work by the National Natural Science Foundation of China through Grant No.20375026 and Ministry of Education of China through Grant No.20030610068.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Technology, College of Chemistry, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610064, China

    Chunfang Han, Chengbin Zheng, Jun Wang, Yi Lv & Xiandeng Hou

  2. Analytical and Testing Center, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610064, China

    Guanglei Cheng & Xiandeng Hou

Authors
  1. Chunfang Han
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Chengbin Zheng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jun Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Guanglei Cheng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Yi Lv
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Xiandeng Hou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Yi Lv or Xiandeng Hou.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Han, C., Zheng, C., Wang, J. et al. Photo-induced cold vapor generation with low molecular weight alcohol, aldehyde, or carboxylic acid for atomic fluorescence spectrometric determination of mercury. Anal Bioanal Chem 388, 825–830 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-006-1006-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-006-1006-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation