A portable and field optical emission spectrometry coupled with microplasma trap for high sensitivity analysis of arsenic and antimony simultaneously

Authors: JI, MA - Beijing Research Center For Information Technology In Agriculture, Beijing Academy Of Agriculture A; JIXIN, LIU - Chinese Academy Of Agricultural Sciences; XUEFEI, MAO - Chinese Academy Of Agricultural Sciences; Chen, Guoying; CHUNSHENG, LI - Jilin University; YONGZHONG, QIAN - Chinese Academy Of Agricultural Sciences

Submitted to: Talanta
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/13/2020
Publication Date: 5/22/2020
Citation: Ji, M., Jixin, L., Xuefei, M., Chen, G., Chunsheng, L., Yongzhong, Q. 2020. A portable and field optical emission spectrometry coupled with microplasma trap for high sensitivity analysis of arsenic and antimony simultaneously. Talanta. available online:Talanta 218 (2020)121161. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.talanta.2020.121161.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.talanta.2020.121161

Interpretive Summary: A new analytical scheme was developed and implemented in a portable spectrometer for arsenic and antimony determination in the field. This scheme included analyte gastification and in-situ enrichment. Field procedure was also simplified using air and solid reagents. This method, validated using certified reference materials, achieved high sensitivity and quantitative recoveries. The instrument demonstrated advantages in sensitivity, power, size, weight, gas consumption, and multielement capability.

Technical Abstract: Hydride generation (HG)-in situ dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) trapping was coupled to optical emission spectrometry (OES) for the first time for As and Sb analysis in the field. In-situ DBD fulfilled both gas phase enrichment (GPE) and excitation; effective enrichment made it possible to use a low-cost charge coupled device (CCD) as detector. To simplify field protocol, solid sulfamic acid was used in HG. Moisture quenching was eliminated by gas sweeping. Detection limits (LODs) were 0.5 µg L-1 for As and 0.2 µg L-1 for Sb, with <3% relative standard deviations (RSDs) at 10 µg L-1; linear dynamic ranges (R2>0.995) were 2-200 µg L-1 for As and 1-200 µg L-1 for Sb. The results agreed with certified values of CRMs and recoveries were 87-97% vs. inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. This HG-in situ DBD-OES scheme, with demonstrated advantages in sensitivity, power, size, weight, gas consumption, and multielement capability, was implemented in a miniature spectrometer for field analysis.