Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
CHAPTER 3
Analytical Methods for Measuring Mercury in Water,
Sediment, and Biota
BRENDA K. LASORSA, GARY A. GILL, and MILENA HORVAT
PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF MERCURY SPECIES
Metallic Mercury
Inorganic Ions of Mercury
Organo-Mercury Compounds
DETERMINATION OF THE CHEMICAL AND PHASE SPECIATION OF
MERCURY IN NATURAL WATERS
Methods to Assess Divalent Mercury-Organic Matter Interactions
Phase-Speciation Methods
DETERMINATION OF TOTAL MERCURY AND INORGANIC MERCURY
SPECIES
Total Mercury and Inorganic Mercury Species in Water
Determination of Total Mercury in Natural Waters
ORGANO-MERCURY SPECIES IN OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL
MATRICES
Sampling and Storage
Determination of Organo-Mercury in Solid Matrices
Other Methods
Other Organo-Mercurials
TOTAL MERCURY IN SOLID MATRICES
Determination of Total Mercury in Solid-Phase Materials
Other Total Mercury Analytical Methods
FRACTIONATION OF MERCURY IN SOILS AND SEDIMENTS
DETERMINATION OF ORGANO-MERCURY SPECIES
Occurrence of Organo-Mercury Species in Natural Waters
Sampling and Storage
Determination of Organo-Mercury Compounds in Aqueous Media
USE OF MERCURY ISOTOPIC AND RADIOCHEMICAL TRACERS
CALIBRATION AND QUALITY CONTROL
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
Mercury (Hg) exists in a large number of physical and
chemical forms with a wide range of properties. Con-
version between these different forms provides the basis
for mercury's complex distribution pattern in local and
global cycles and for its biologic enrichment and effects.
Since the 1960s, the growing awareness of environmen-
tal mercury pollution has stimulated the development
of more accurate, precise and effi cient methods of quan-
tifying mercury and its compounds in a wide variety of
matrices. During recent years new analytical techniques
have become available that have contributed signifi cantly
to the understanding of mercury chemistry in natural
systems. In particular, these include ultrasensitive and
specifi c analytical equipment and contamination-free
methods. These improvements allow for the determina-
tion of total mercury as well as major species of mercury
to be made in water, sediments and soils, and biota. Ana-
lytical methods are selected depending on the nature
of the sample, the concentration levels of mercury, and
what species or fraction is to be quantifi ed. The terms
“speciation” and “fractionation” in analytical chemistry
were addressed by the International Union for Pure and
Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) that published guidelines
(Templeton et al., 2000) or recommendations for the defi -
nition of speciation analysis: “Speciation analysis is the
analytical activity of identifying and/or measuring the
