New speciation approaches in the biogeochemical cycles of organometallics in the environment

Abstract

In situ aqueous ethylation of fish tissue samples containing inorganic and methylmercury compounds or sediment samples containing butyltin compounds produced molecular, volatile mixed alkyls of predictable composition. Dynamic purging, cryogenic trapping on a chromatographic packing, thermal desorption to an electrically heated quartz furnace and AAS detection effected their analysis. The procedure for mercury compounds is simplified and absolute detection limits for CH3 Hg+and Hg2+ are 12 pg and 230 pg, respectively. Detection limits for the ethylated butyltins are comparable to the ones for the hydride derivatives. © 1992, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. All rights reserved.