title: Measurement of arsenic compounds in littoral zone algae from the Western Mediterranean Sea. Occurrence of arsenobetaine.
abstract: The determination of arsenic compounds in algae collected on the Catalan coast (Western Mediterranean) is reported. Ten algae species and the seagrass Posidonia oceanica were analyzed. Total arsenic in the samples was determined by microwave digestion and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS). Arsenic speciation in water extracts of samples was analyzed by liquid chromatography with both anionic and cationic exchange with ICPMS detection (LC-ICPMS). The total arsenic content of the algae samples ranged from 2.96 to 39.0mg As kg(-1). The following compounds were detected: arsenite (As(III)), arsenate (As(V)), methylarsonate (MA), dimethylarsinate (DMA), sulfonate sugar (SO3-sug), sulfate sugar (SO4-sug), phosphate sugar (PO4-sug), arsenobetaine (AB), arsenocholine (AC), trimethylarsine oxide (TMAO) and glycerol sugar (Gly-sug). The main arsenic species found were arsenosugars. Significant percentages of arsenobetaine (0.54 mg As kg(-1), 28% of the extractable arsenic and 0.39 mg As kg(-1), 18% of the extractable arsenic) were found in Ulva rigida and Enteromorpha compressa. These results are discussed in relation to the presence of epiphytes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Analytical Chemistry, Universitat de Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1-11, Barcelona E-08028, Spain.
authors.forename: Toni
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Llorente-Mirandes
authors.forename: Maria José
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Ruiz-Chancho
authors.forename: Mercedes
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Barbero
authors.forename: Roser
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rubio
authors.forename: José Fermín
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: López-Sánchez
mesh_terms: D035961:Alismatales / Q000737:chemistry*; D001152:Arsenicals / Q000032:analysis*; D000460:Chlorophyta / Q000737:chemistry*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D008522:Mediterranean Sea; D000459:Phaeophyceae / Q000737:chemistry; D000461:Rhodophyta / Q000737:chemistry; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D001152:Arsenicals; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; C038992:arsenobetaine