title: Development of an electrothermal atomization laser-excited atomic fluorescence spectrometry procedure for direct measurements of arsenic in diluted serum.
abstract: A procedure for the direct determination of arsenic in diluted serum by electrothermal atomization laser-excited atomic fluorescence spectrometry (ETA-LEAFS) is reported. Laser radiation needed to excite As at 193.696 and 197.197 nm is generated as the second anti-Stokes stimulated Raman scattering output of a frequency-doubled dye laser operating near 230.5 and 235.5 nm, respectively. Two different LEAFS schemes have been utilized and provide limits of detection of 200-300 fg for As in aqueous standards. When measurements of serum samples diluted 1:10 with deionized water are performed, a stable background signal is observed that can be accounted for by taking measurements with the laser tuned off-wavelength. No As is detected in any of the bovine or human serum samples analyzed. Measurements of 100 pg/mL standard additions of As to a diluted bovine serum sample utilizing either inorganic or organic As species demonstrate a linear relationship of the fluorescence signal to As spike concentration, but exhibit a sensitivity of approximately half that observed in pure aqueous standards. The limit of detection for As in 1:10 diluted serum samples is 65 pg/mL or 650 fg absolute mass, which corresponds to 0.65 ng/mL As in undiluted serum. To our knowledge, the ETA-LEAFS procedure is currently the only one capable of directly measuring As in diluted serum at these levels.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Iowa, Iowa City 52242, USA.
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Swart
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Simeonsson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001151:Arsenic / Q000097:blood* / Q000737:chemistry; D002138:Calibration; D002417:Cattle; D004563:Electrochemistry / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007834:Lasers; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D001151:Arsenic