Analyses of Organic and Inorganic Mercury by Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometry Using a Semiautomatic Analytical System

The present work describes an improved method for the determination of total and organic mercury by decreasing analysis time (use of a dual circuit), sample size, and handling procedures and eliminating the need for a clean room condition while maintaining the detection limit below the parts per trillion (pptr) level. Total mercury was analyzed after reduction by a one-stage gold amalgamation before transfer to an atomic fluorescence spectrometer. The detection limit was 0.07 ng L -1 for aqueous samples and 1 ng g -1 for biological tissue. Analysis time was 5 min. Organic mercury was first derivatized using sodium tetraethylborate and then trapped onto a graphitized carbon trap before transfer to an isothermally controlled GC column coupled to a cold vapor atomic fluorescence spectrometer