Tin fractionation analysis in sediment samples via on-line ID ETV/ICP-MS

We report a quantification approach for directly determining total tin and tin-based pollutants/species in sediments via electrothermal vaporization/inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ETV/ICP-MS) utilizing an on-line isotope dilution mass spectrometry (IDMS) approach. The method was developed and validated using an estuarine sediment reference material (BCR-277R), yielding a recovery of 106%. A relative standard deviation (RSD) of 14%, comparable to published data using a similar method, was obtained. A limit of quantification (LOQ) was estimated at 0.008 mg Sn kg^-1 and sufficient for quantifying the total tin mass fraction of surface sediments along the tidal River Elbe course. Hereby, a decrease towards the river mouth, presumably due to dilution effects by less polluted marine sediment, was observed. Besides total tin, monitoring of organotin compounds (OTCs)/species is of interest in sediments due to their toxic effects on aquatic life. The method's capability was extended by separating an OTC fraction in a sediment certified reference material (CRM) through the ETV temperature program. While spiking experiments with OTC standards confirmed the assignment, only a small fraction of the total certified OTC amount (3%), likely due to matrix effects, was recovered. However, applying the method to real-world samples, OTCs were detectable along the River Elbe course. By this, we demonstrated the potential of our method as a complementary fast-screening approach to species-specific analysis procedures.