Determination of total arsenic by photo-decomposition of organoarsenic compounds and hydride generation electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

A method was developed for the determination of total arsenic concentration in less than ng/ml level by decomposition of organoarsenicals using photo -oxidation combined with in situ trapping of arsenic hydride on a palladium coated graphite tube with subsequent atomization and detection by AAS. The organoarsenicals include monomethylarsenic, dimethylarsenic, arsenobetaine, arsenocholine, o -aminobenzenarsenate and p -aminobenzenarsenate. The method is simple and sensitive. Detection limit was obtained from different arsenic compounds over the range from 0. 058 to 0.063 ng/ml as As (based on three times of the standard deviation of 10 blank measurements) and the relative standard deviations for ten replicate measurements were from 2.0 to 3.8%. The calibration curves of arsenic compounds including inorganic and organic arsenicals were linear over the range from 0.1 to 3.0 ng/ml as As. The recommended method has been applied to the determination of total arsenic in tap and lake water samples at ng/ml levels.