Determinación de arsénico en sedimento marino por espectrocopía atómica mediante su hidruro volátil generado electroquímicamente

This study describes the determination of arsenic in marine sediment of the Bajo Alto Community located in El Oro Province, Ecuador. The electrochemical generation of this volatile metal hydride (arsine) used an Au / Hg (gold / mercury) amalgam as a cathode, in a 0,5 M solution of H2SO4. The results were compared with the results obtained from other cathodes that are commonly used for the generation of this metal hydride. The results show that the marine sediments of the Bajo Alto Community are not contaminated by arsenic (As) as the concentration of this metal was of 0.05mg/Kg and according to the World Health Organization the permitted limit is 5mg / Kg. In addition, the Au/Hg cathode has better tolerance to interference and better repeatability than the Au, Pt, Pb or reticulated vitreous carbon (RVC) cathodes. The accuracy of the method was verified by determining the As in a certified reference material.