Determination of arsenic species in seafood samples from the Aegean Sea by liquid chromatography-(photo-oxidation)-hydride generation-atomic fluorescence spectrometry

In this study arsenic compounds were determined in mussels (Mytulis galloprovincialis), anchovies (Engraulis encrasicholus), sea-breams (Sparus aurata), sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) and sardines (Sardina pilchardus) collected from Aegean Sea using liquid chromatography-photo-oxidation-hydride generation-atomic fluorescence spectrometry [LC-(PO)-HG-AFS] system. Twelve arsenicals were separated and determined on the basis of their difference in two properties: (i) the pKa values and (ii) hydride generation capacity. The separation was carried out both with an anion- and a cation-exchange column, with and without photo-oxidation. In all the samples arsenobetaine, AB was detected as the major compound (concentrations ranging between 2.7 and 23.1 μg g−1 dry weight), with trace amounts of arsenite, As(III), dimethylarsinic acid, DMA and arsenocholine, AC, also present. Arsenosugars were detected only in the mussel samples (in concentrations of 0.9-3.6 μg g−1 dry weight), along with the presence of an unknown compound, which, based on its retention time on the anion-exchange column Hamilton PRP-X100 and a recent communication [E. Schmeisser, R. Raml, K.A. Francesconi, D. Kuehnelt, A. Lindberg, Cs. Soeroes, W. Goessler, Chem. Commun. 16 (2004) 1824], is supposed to be a thio-arsenic analogue.