What is it about?
Determination of arsenic in water and seawater is difficult because arsenic is present at relatively low concentrations and under various organic and inorganic forms. In this paper, we provide a new method for the determination of the inorganic fraction (arsenite + arsenate): using a gold wire microelectrode, we can apply voltammetric conditions that are normally avoided: low pH (pH 1) and low deposition potential (-1 to -1.3 V). In such conditions, arsenate that is notoriously difficult to measure, can be reduced directly at the electrode.
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Why is it important?
Arsenic is a carcinogenic element, present at high concentrations in many groundwaters in many parts of the world. In seawater, it is present at relatively low concentration but is easily taken up by phytoplankton due to the chemical similarity of phosphate and arsenate. Arsenic monitoring is thus important. We provided here an alternative method for its determination.
Perspectives
This was the first paper of several on the detection of arsenic in fresh and seawaters. It was the first to highlight the potential of this gold microwire electrode: easy to make, relatively cheap but very sensitive and allowing to carry out stripping voltammetry in conditions of low pH and low reduction potentials. This is all thanks to Britta Planer-Friedrich who came as a visiting scientist in van den Berg's lab and she had a long standing interest in arsenic. This was already more that 10 years ago now....
Pascal Salaun
University of Liverpool Department of Earth Ocean and Ecological Sciences
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Inorganic arsenic speciation in water and seawater by anodic stripping voltammetry with a gold microelectrode, Analytica Chimica Acta, March 2007, Elsevier,
DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2006.12.048.
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