Environmental Analysis 17


satisfactory agreement between the measured and certified values for CrIII


and CrVI for preventing hydrolysis of the CrIII .


. However, since the pH of the reconstituted solution is critical species, the solution should be


complexed or analyzed as soon as possible after the recommended purge with CO2


Method LOD and LOQs (limits of quantitation) for CrIII and CrVI


species were determined in accordance with the 3σ and 10σ models respectively using fully quantitative analyses of method blanks (n = 5)


and the associated figures of merit for sample injection volumes of 50 and 200 µL are presented in Table 3.


Figure 2


Table 3 Table 2


The method was validated for the mineral and spring water samples by determining the recovery of CrIII


and CrVI standards added to the


samples prior to the complexation step (relevant data are presented in Table 2). The recovery determined for the five samples analyzed fell between 90 and 105 %, even for spikes at levels as low as 0.1 µg/L of each chromium species. Further method validation was performed through duplicate analyses in two independent bottles of the lyophilized solution. A chromatogram of reconstituted lyophilized solution is presented in Figure 1 (d.). Due to the higher levels of chromium species in this CRM, a sample loop of 50 µL was used for the fully quantitative calibration and sample.


The chromatogram shows that CrIII and CrVI were found in the CRM. The associated quantitative data is presented in Table 2 and there is


Summary CrIII


, on the other hand, is highly toxic if orally ingested or inhaled causing skin, nose, eye and throat irritations as well as damage to liver, kidney circulatory and nerve tissues and cancer of the respiratory system. As a consequence, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the European Union (EU) have specified maximum admissible concentrations for total chromium and chromium species under their respective drinking water regulations. Concentrations must be monitored closely to assess human health risks and ensure regulatory compliance. The combination of HPLC and ICP-MS provides a validated solution for fast, precise and sensitive speciation of CrIII in mineral and spring water.


is moderately toxic if orally injested in quantities higher than 200 µg/day. CrVI


and CrVI species


AUTHOR DETAILS


Dr. Shona McSheehy, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Bremen, Germany;


Dr. Martin Nash,


Thermo Fisher Scientific Cambridge, UK


Tel: +1 800-532-4752, email:


analyze@thermofisher.com Web: www.thermo.com/src


The New Standard in Routine Food Analysis


Food Titrino plus is Metrohm’s complete titration package for the most common analyses in the food industry. Selling at a remarkably competitive price, Food Titrino plus comes with a USB stick containing 100 determination methods. Operation couldn’t be easier. Just load your method of choice from the USB stick, press the start key and the let the titrator do everything else for you. Food Titrino plus consists of the Titrino plus titrator, exchange unit, magnetic stirrer, the Ecotrode plus electrode, electrolyte, calibration buffers and storage solution for the electrode. Also included is a USB stick containing 100 determination methods. The system is perfect for standard applications in the food industry as it offers all the


important basic methods.


Once you have loaded your method of choice and pressed the start key, you can follow the titration in real time on the large LCD display. At the end of the determination, the result is shown automatically. Optionally, you can connect a printer or save the result on the USB stick. The connection of a PC keyboard and/or a barcode reader (optional) is very advantageous as this helps avoid errors when alphanumerical sample data have to be entered or read in.


Metrohm understand that complying with rigorous quality standard is of utmost importance for you. That is why together with your Food Titrino plus you also receive detailed explanations concerning the qualification of your titrator and the validation of your methods. Thus, you are always on the safe side and your results will stand up to any inspection.


Reader Reply Card no 58


New Website Tailored to Meet Needs of Environmental Customers


PerkinElmer (USA) introduce its enhanced environmental market Web site. The site provides improved


functionality and searching capabilities to enable environmental scientists to quickly obtain information on regulatory compliance, methods or standards, applications and product information. “The development and launch of the new environmental Web site is an integral part of our EcoAnalytix™ initiative and highlights our continued commitment to support the needs of our customers in the environmental market,” said Richard Begley, Ph.D., president, Analytical Sciences, PerkinElmer. Begley noted that extensive customer input from usability tests, focus groups, surveys and demonstrations was a key driver in the enhancements, which include an intuitive tab structure that filters information relevant to customer needs such as air, water, soil and hazardous waste, industrial hygiene or biomonitoring testing and analysis. Upon reaching the site’s home page, users will find information sorted by method, technology or environmental application. The added search functionality will guide visitors to useful information in less time. The site also features a streamlined left-side navigation and enables straightforward transitions from one portion of the site to another, along with direct links to compliance information on regulatory bodies’ Web sites. The new site, which is accessible from PerkinElmer’s homepage, is the first of several planned enhancements to PerkinElmer’s Web site.


Reader Reply Card no 59 AET


Spectro ICP Resolves Plasma Debate


Experts have debated the relative merits of radial and axial plasma configurations for years. Spectro Analytical (Germany) claim that their ARCOS ICP-OES system is the first commercial instrument that can use a radial plasma configuration, known to cope better with matrix interferences, without compromising the detection limits needed for trace level measurements such as water analysis. The ARCOS (Advanced Rowland Circle Optical System) spectrometer employs a unique optical system that achieves the signal-to-background and resolution performance needed to take full advantage of the radial plasma’s better tolerance of high salt content (up to 30% dissolved solids) or organics in the sample and its ability to handle slurries or suspensions. The patented design of the optical system achieves, with very few reflections, unequalled 8.5 picometer resolution in the vital UV region and the high energy throughput to exploit it. Spectro’s patented UV-PLUS system requires no purge gas supply or vacuum pumps for UV performance, as the sealed optical path is permanently filed with Argon. An array of 32 linear CCD detectors allows a full spectrum from 130 to 770nm to be collected and stored in under 2 seconds using significantly less memory than conventional systems. Unlike many CCD based detection systems, no sub-ambient cooling is required. Although the ARCOS in this configuration out-performs other radial plasma systems and will handle most routine applications that require high sensitivity, an axial system can also be supplied for those requiring the ultimate detection limits from their ICP-OES.


Reader Reply Card no 60 October/November 2008


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