Issue 12, 2017

Direct mercury determination in blood and urine by means of high-resolution continuum source graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry using gold nanoparticles as a chemical modifier

Abstract

The determination of Hg in biological fluids, such as blood and urine, is important considering its known toxicity to human health. This kind of analysis typically requires the use of expensive instrumentation and/or sample pretreatment, which can be a problem for implementation in laboratories in low- and middle-income countries. In this work, a cost-effective methodology for the direct determination of Hg in blood and urine at low μg L−1 levels by means of high-resolution continuum source graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (HR CS GFAAS) is presented. This method is based on the use of Au nanoparticles (Au NPs) as a modifier, which can be readily synthesized in any basic laboratory. By using this modifier, direct analysis of one sample can be performed in a few minutes without the need for extensive sample pretreatment and calibrating with aqueous standards. Although developed for HR CS GFAAS, this method might be adopted by any laboratory equipped with any GFAAS instrument. With our instrumentation, a characteristic mass of 16 pg and a LOD of 2.3 μg L−1 (for a typical sample volume of 10 μL, although higher volumes can also be analyzed, if required) was obtained for Hg, which is fit for purpose in the context of Hg exposure monitoring as a result of occupational hazards.

Graphical abstract: Direct mercury determination in blood and urine by means of high-resolution continuum source graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry using gold nanoparticles as a chemical modifier

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
27 Sept. 2017
Accepted
25 Okt. 2017
First published
25 Okt. 2017

J. Anal. At. Spectrom., 2017,32, 2352-2359

Direct mercury determination in blood and urine by means of high-resolution continuum source graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry using gold nanoparticles as a chemical modifier

M. Aramendía, A. Guarda, D. Leite and M. Resano, J. Anal. At. Spectrom., 2017, 32, 2352 DOI: 10.1039/C7JA00323D

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements