TOWARDS SPECIATION OF ARSENIC IN A STANDARD REFERENCE RIVER SEDIMENT BY HIGH-PERFORMANCE ION CHROMATOGRAPHY COUPLED WITH PLASMA SOURCE-MASSSPECTROMETRY

A procedure for the extraction and separation of alkylarsenic species from Buffalo River Sediment standard reference material has been devel oped, The sample was sonicated in methanol-hydrochloric acid-water (50 + 10 + 40 v/v) and filtered, The arsenic species in the extract were separated by anion exchange HPLC, on a Hamilton PRP X-100 column, usin g phosphate (pH 6.0) and citrate (pH 6.0) buffers as eluents, and dete cted by direct aspiration into an inductively coupled plasma mass spec trometer. Monomethylarsonic acid, at a concentration of about 0.2 mg k g(-1) in the solid, was detected.