Determination of mercury(II) and organomercury compounds by reversed-phase liquid chromatography with reductive electrochemical detection

Abstract

Electrochemical detection in the reductive mode at a gold amalgamated mercury electrode combined with reversed-phase liquid chromatography was used to determine inorganic mercury (Hg^II) and three organomercurials in spiked water samples. The neutral charge mercury complexes were eluted cleanly and efficiently with 60%m/m methanol, buffered to pH 5.5. The maximum retention time was less than 10 min at a flow-rate of 0.6 ml min^–1. Detection limits for the analytes varied from approximately 1 to 2 µg l^–1. Calibration graphs for each of the mercury species were linear over several orders of magnitude ranging from below 20 pg µl^–1 to greater than 10 ng µl^–1.