Abstract
The application of microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) to the work-up of environmental and biological samples in the study of mercury speciation analysis has increased in recent years and is now increasingly accepted as a standard approach. The review provides a brief theoretical background of microwave heating and the basic principles of microwave energy used for extraction. The advantages and disadvantages of (a) MAE techniques, (b) the influence of the main parameters affecting the extraction, (c) statistical optimization approaches, and (d) strategies for method validation also are highlighted. Recent applications of MAE to mercury species analyses in biological samples, soils, sediments, and crude oil samples are surveyed and critically reviewed. In addition, comparisons of its use with other well-established extraction procedures are discussed.
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Acknowledgements
The authors wish to thank the funding of this project by PROMEP (101.5/09/3905), PAICYT-UANL 2009, and NSF (award numbers 0421252 and 0821401). L. H. Reyes acknowledges financial support to Conacyt-Mexico through Repatriation Program 2009 (grant 116627)
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Reyes, L.H., Mar, J.L.G., Hernández-Ramírez, A. et al. Microwave assisted extraction for mercury speciation analysis. Microchim Acta 172, 3–14 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-010-0473-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-010-0473-3