Speciation of inorganic and methylated arsenic compounds by capillary zone electrophoresis with indirect UV detection: Application to the analysis of alkali extracts of As2S2 (realgar) and As2S3 (orpiment)

A capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) method with indirect UV detection was developed to simultaneously separate inorganic and organic arsenic compounds including arsenite (iAsIII), arsenate (iAsV), monomethylarsonate and dimethylarsenic acid (DMAV). 2,6-Pyridinedicarboxylic acid (PDC) and n-hexadecyltrimethylammonium hydroxide (CTAOH) were selected to compose a background electrolyte (BGE), where PDC was used as chromophore and CTAOH functioned as electroosmotic flow (EOF) modifier to reduce/eliminate EOF. The choice of detection wavelength, the optimization of BGE pH, and effects of applied electric field strength and temperature on separation were further investigated. The limits of detection for the targeted analytes were between 0.19 and 0.23 ppm as molecule. Good linearity of more than three orders of magnitude was obtained. Repeatability of migration times and peaks areas were 0.8–1.7 and 3.4–6.9% R.S.D.; whereas reproducibility were 1.2–2.2 and 3.6–7.1% R.S.D., respectively. The established CZE method was then applied to analyze the alkali extracts of realgar (As2S2) and orpiment (As2S3). The main components in both alkali extracts were identified to be iAsIII and iAsV.