No abstract

No abstract

Reversed-phase charge neutralisation high-performance liquid chromatography with reductive amperometric electrochemical detection was optimised for the simultaneous determination of inorganic and organomercury in aqueous solution under ideal conditions. The optimum electrochemical (electrode reduction potential) and chromatographic (capacity factors, separation factors, flow-rates, modifier concentrations and retention times) conditions were determined for maximum selectivity, sensitivity and resolution in conjunction with minimum analysis times. The determinations were performed under isocratic conditions with acetonitrile and methanol as the organic modifiers, buffered at pH 5.5. Acetonitrile, the stronger eluent, had a dramatic effect on the retention time of the aromatic organomercury species. Separation of the analytes was performed on octadecylsilane columns (250 x 4 mm i.d.) with organic modifier ratios ranging from 10 to 70% m/m. The gold amalgamated mercury electrode under the optimum conditions had a useful working range from -0.3 to -1.0 V vs. an Ag -AgCl reference electrode.

To implement the proposed impoundment of the Northeast Cape Fear River in Dulpin County, North Carolina, the US Army Corps of Engineers asked the Federal Water Pollution Control Administration to investigate the leaching of undesirable materials into the impounded waters. Since the impoundment will inundate an area with rich organic soils, the possibility of leaching is high, and this research is important to the future of the whole project.