Antimony speciation by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry using solid phase extraction cartridges.

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Environmental Chemistry

Background:

• Accurate speciation of inorganic antimony is crucial for environmental and health risk assessments.
• Existing methods for antimony speciation can be complex and time-consuming.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a simple, selective, and sensitive method for inorganic antimony speciation in aqueous samples.
• To enable the differentiation and quantification of antimony(III) and antimony(V).

Main Methods:

• Selective solid phase extraction (SPE) using C8 cartridges to separate Sb(III)-APDC complex from Sb(V).
• Detection of total antimony and Sb(V) using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).
• Calculation of Sb(III) concentration by subtracting Sb(V) from total antimony.

Main Results:

• The method achieved selective retention of Sb(III)-APDC complex on C8 cartridges.
• Sb(V) passed through the cartridge, allowing for separate detection.
• A low detection limit of 1 ng L(-1) for antimony was achieved.
• The method demonstrated robustness against foreign ions and was successfully applied to various water samples.

Conclusions:

• The developed SPE-ICP-MS method provides a simple and effective approach for antimony speciation.
• This technique is suitable for analyzing antimony species in diverse water matrices.
• The method offers high sensitivity and selectivity for environmental monitoring applications.