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Preconcentration and in-situ photoreduction of trace selenium using TiO2 nanoparticles, followed by its determination by slurry photochemical vapor generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry

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Abstract

We have developed a method for the determination of trace levels of total selenium in water samples. It integrates preconcentration, in-situ photoreduction and slurry photochemical vapor generation using TiO2 nanoparticles, and the determination of total selenium by AFS. The Se(IV) and Se(VI) species were adsorbed on a slurry of TiO2 nanoparticles which then were exposed to UV irradiation in the presence of formic acid to form volatile selenium species. The detection limits were improved 17-fold compared to hydride generation and 56-fold compared to photochemical vapor generation, both without any preconcentration. No significant difference was found in the limits of detection (LODs) for Se(IV) and Se(VI). The LOD is as low as 0.8 ng L−1, the precision is better than 4.5 % (at a level of 0.1 μg L−1 of selenium). The method gave good recoveries when applied to the determination of total selenium in a certified tissue reference material (DORM-3) and in spiked drinking water and wastewater samples containing high concentrations of transition and noble metal ions. It also excels by very low LODs, a significant enhancement of sample throughput, reduced reagent consumption and sample loss, and minimal interference by transition and noble metal ions.

A method integrating pre-concentration, in situ photo-reduction and slurry photochemical vapor generation by using TiO2 nanoparticles was developed for sensitive determination of total selenium in various water samples by atomic fluorescence spectrometry.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge financial support for this project from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 21075085). C. B. Zheng thanks the financial support by Ministry of Education of China and the Department of Science and Technology of Chengdu City through the Grants NCET-11-0361 and 11DXYB153SF.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Analytical & Testing Center, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610064, China

    Wulin Yang, Li Wu, Xiandeng Hou & Xiaofan Zhu

  2. Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry & Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610064, China

    Ying Gao, Xiandeng Hou & Chengbin Zheng

  3. College of Nuclear Technology and Automation Engineering, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610059, China

    Ying Gao

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  1. Wulin Yang
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  2. Ying Gao
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  3. Li Wu
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  4. Xiandeng Hou
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  5. Chengbin Zheng
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  6. Xiaofan Zhu
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Correspondence to Chengbin Zheng or Xiaofan Zhu.

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Yang, W., Gao, Y., Wu, L. et al. Preconcentration and in-situ photoreduction of trace selenium using TiO2 nanoparticles, followed by its determination by slurry photochemical vapor generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry. Microchim Acta 181, 197–204 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-013-1101-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-013-1101-9

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