ELEMENTAL AND ORGANOMETALLIC ANALYSES OF SOIL USING GLOW-DISCHARGE MASS-SPECTROMETRY AND GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY MASS SPECTROMETRY/

Glow discharge mass spectrometry (GDMS) and gas chromatography/mass sp ectrometry (GC/MS) have been evaluated as techniques for total element al assay in soil, GDMS analysis demonstrated accurate elemental quanti fication for lead and tin (approximately 20% error at the 10 ppm level ), Limitations were encountered, however, when the element of interest was volatile, as in the case of mercury, or when the element was not an inorganic salt but a volatile organometallic compound, GC/MS was in vestigated as an alternative means of providing both organometallic co mpound analysis and elemental quantification. A solid-phase microextra ction fiber was demonstrated to be an effective sampling medium for se veral organometallic compounds in both water and a water/soil slurry, Quantification of inorganic mercury species was facilitated by using a n alkylating reagent (methylpentacyanocobaltate (III)) to produce an o rganomercurial that could be analyzed by GC/MS, Although the reaction proceeded as anticipated, several additional observations were made th at may be exploited in future studies.