PLoS ONE 2014-01-01

Quantification of methylated selenium, sulfur, and arsenic in the environment.

Bas Vriens, Adrian A Ammann, Harald Hagendorfer, Markus Lenz, Michael Berg, Lenny H E Winkel

Index: PLoS ONE 9(7) , e102906, (2014)

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Abstract

Biomethylation and volatilization of trace elements may contribute to their redistribution in the environment. However, quantification of volatile, methylated species in the environment is complicated by a lack of straightforward and field-deployable air sampling methods that preserve element speciation. This paper presents a robust and versatile gas trapping method for the simultaneous preconcentration of volatile selenium (Se), sulfur (S), and arsenic (As) species. Using HPLC-HR-ICP-MS and ESI-MS/MS analyses, we demonstrate that volatile Se and S species efficiently transform into specific non-volatile compounds during trapping, which enables the deduction of the original gaseous speciation. With minor adaptations, the presented HPLC-HR-ICP-MS method also allows for the quantification of 13 non-volatile methylated species and oxyanions of Se, S, and As in natural waters. Application of these methods in a peatland indicated that, at the selected sites, fluxes varied between 190-210 ng Se·m(-2)·d(-1), 90-270 ng As·m(-2)·d(-1), and 4-14 µg S·m(-2)·d(-1), and contained at least 70% methylated Se and S species. In the surface water, methylated species were particularly abundant for As (>50% of total As). Our results indicate that methylation plays a significant role in the biogeochemical cycles of these elements.