Routine analysis of mercury species using commercially available instrumentation: chemometric optimisation of the instrumental variables

Comparison of Three Analytical Methods for the Quantitation of Mercury in Environmental Samples from the Volta Lake, Ghana

Three analytical methods using automatic mercury analyzer (AMA), direct mercury analyzer (DMA) and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) were applied to determine mercury in fish and sediment samples from the Volta Lake in Ghana with the aim of comparing their accuracy, precision, and limit of quantifications. There was statistically no significant difference (p < 0.05) between the concentrations recorded by the methods. This indicates their suitability for the accurate determination of mercury. Limit of quantification was found to be in the order; ICP-MS (0.053 ng/g) < DMA (0.527 ng/g) < AMA (2.193 ng/g). Though each of the three methods has a suitable ability in determining accurately the concentrations of mercury in fish and sediment, for the determination of very low concentrations of mercury ICP-MS should be preferred considering the order of the detection limit which follows the trend ICP-MS (0.016 ng/g) < DMA (0.158 ng/g) < AMA (0.509 ng/g).

Methods for the determination and speciation of mercury in natural waters--a review

This review summarises current knowledge on Hg species and their distribution in the hydrosphere and gives typical concentration ranges in open ocean, coastal and estuarine waters, as well as in rivers, lakes, rain and ground waters. The importance of reliable methods for the determination of Hg species in natural waters and the analytical challenges associated with them are discussed. Approaches for sample collection and storage, pre-concentration, separation, and detection are critically compared. The review covers well established methods for total mercury determination and identifies new approaches that offer advantages such as ease of use and reduced risk of contamination. Pre-concentration and separation techniques for Hg speciation are divided into chromatographic and non-chromatographic methods. Derivatisation methods and the coupling of pre-concentration and/or separation methods to suitable detection techniques are also discussed. Techniques for sample pre-treatment, pre-concentration, separation, and quantification of Hg species, together with examples of total Hg determination and Hg speciation analysis in different natural (non-spiked) waters are summarised in tables, with a focus on applications from the last decade.