title: Determination of trace heavy metals in environmental and biological samples by solution cathode glow discharge-atomic emission spectrometry and addition of ionic surfactants for improved sensitivity.
abstract: Solution cathode glow discharge-atomic emission spectrometry (SCGD-AES) was evaluated for its ability to determine toxic heavy metals, including cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), and chromium (Cr), in environmental and biological samples. A significant enhancement in heavy metal signal was observed by addition of a small amount of cetyltrimethylammoniumchloride (CTAC, C16H33 (CH3)3NCl) to the samples. The net intensity of atomic emission lines of Cd, Hg, Pb, and Cr increased by 2.1-, 4.8-, 6.6-, and 2.6-fold, respectively, after addition of 0.15% CTAC to the test solutions. The effects of ionic surfactants (CTAC) compared with non-ionic surfactants, e.g., Triton x-45 and Triton x-100, on the sensitivity of Cd, Hg, Pb, and Cr were also investigated in the present study. The enhancement effect is in the order Triton x-45<Triton x-100<CTAC for Hg, Pb and Cr and Triton x-45<CTAC<Triton x-100 for Cd. Addition of CTAC to the electrolyte solutions decreased the background intensity and fluctuation of atomic emission lines of studied metals. It also changed the surface tension and the viscosity, and increased average discharge current of electrolyte solution. SCGD sensitivity to the heavy metals greatly improved by addition of the surfactant. The improved detection limits of Cd, Hg, Pb, and Cr were 1.0, 7.0, 2.0, and 42 ng mL(-1), respectively. The proposed method was validated by quantifying Cd, Hg, Pb, and Cr in certified reference materials, including human hair (GBW 09101b) and stream sediment (GBW 07310 and GBW07311). Measurement results obtained for the determination of Cd, Hg, Pb, and Cr in the reference materials agreed well with reference values. This study improves the application of SCGD-AES in quantifying very low levels of Cd, Hg, Pb, and Cr from biological and environmental materials.
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Science, Shanghai 200050, China; School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200072, China.
authors.forename: Zhen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Science, Shanghai 200050, China. Electronic address: wangzheng@mail.sic.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Zheng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Science, Shanghai 200050, China.
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Science, Shanghai 200050, China.
authors.forename: Huijun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zou
authors.affiliation: School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200072, China.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shi
mesh_terms: D004566:Electrodes; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D006197:Hair / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D057230:Limit of Detection; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000032:analysis*; D013054:Spectrophotometry, Atomic / Q000379:methods*; D013501:Surface-Active Agents / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D019216:Metals, Heavy; D013501:Surface-Active Agents
keywords: Cetyltrimethylammoniumchloride; Environmental and biological samples; Heavy metals; Solution cathode glow discharge-atomic emission spectrometry