Determination of selenium species in seawater by flow injection hydride generation in situ trapping followed by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry†

Abstract

In this study, Se^IV was determined in seawater by flow injection hydride generation, trapping within the graphite furnace, followed by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry. The optimized protocol permitted a preconcentration factor of 1000 lowering the detection limit of Se^IV in seawater to about 1.5 ng l^–1 for a 25 ml sample volume. Because this technique is specific to Se^IV, various physico-chemical treatments leading to the conversion of other chemical forms into Se^IV were investigated. Thermal and UV irradiation treatments of seawater samples in acidic or basic medium permitted the conversion of Se^–II-selenomethionine and Se^VI to Se^IV. Based on the different responses of selenium species towards the photochemical treatments, an operational speciation model of selenium species in seawater is proposed. According to our analytical protocol, 21 ng l^–1 Se^VI, 10 ng l^–1 Se^IV and 13 ng l^–1 organic Se^–II species were determined in a coastal surface seawater collected near Brest.

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