Arsenic speciation analysis

Nearly two dozen arsenic species are present in the environmental and biological systems. Differences in their toxicity, biochemical and environmental behaviors require the determination of these individual arsenic species. Considerable analytical progresses have been made toward arsenic speciation analysis over the last decade. Hyphenated techniques involving a highly efficient separation and a highly sensitive detection have become the techniques of choice. Methods based on high-performance liquid chromatography separation with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, hydride generation atomic spectrometry, and electrospray mass spectrometry detection have been shown most useful for arsenic speciation in environmental and biological matrices. These hyphenated techniques have resulted in the determination of new arsenic species, contributing to a better understanding of arsenic metabolism and biogeochemical cycling. Methods for extracting arsenic species from solid samples and for stabilizing arsenic species in solutions are required for obtaining reliable arsenic speciation information.