Screening for Mercury in Aqueous Environmental Samples and Urine Samples Using Thin Layer Chromatography

• Published in: Water environment research Vol. 79; no. 12; pp. 2457 - 2463
• Main Authors: Agarwal, Rakhi, Behari, Jai Raj
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Alexandria, VA Water Environment Federation 01.11.2007; Blackwell Publishing Ltd
• Subjects: Applied sciences; aqueous samples; Aqueous solutions; Arsenic; Benzene; Cadmium; Chemicals; Chromatography; Chromatography, Thin Layer - methods; Copper; dithizone; Dithizone - analysis; Dithizone - chemistry; Environmental Monitoring - methods; Exact sciences and technology; General purification processes; Heavy metals; Human subjects; Humans; Hydrochloric acid; Industrial effluents; Industrial wastewater; Lead; Mass spectrometry; Mercury; Mercury - analysis; Mercury - chemistry; Mercury - urine; Mercury Compounds - analysis; Mercury Compounds - chemistry; Mercury Compounds - urine; Metals - analysis; Metals - chemistry; Molecular Structure; Nickel; Pollution; Protons; Reproducibility of Results; Research methodology; Research Note; Scholarships & fellowships; Silica; Solvents; Thin layer chromatography; Urine; urine sample; Wastewaters; Water - analysis; Water - chemistry; Water samples; Water treatment and pollution; Zinc; Human; Urine; Thin layer chromatography; Complexation; Arsenic; Instruments; Industrial waste water; Silica gel; Mercury; Optimization; Operating conditions; Heavy metal
• ISSN: 1061-4303; 1554-7531
• DOI: 10.2175/106143007X212193

A method for screening based on thin layer chromatography (TLC) comprising silica gel 'G' as a stationary phase and benzene as a mobile phase was found to be most suitable for the detection of mercury in aqueous samples and spiked human urine, without digesting the samples. A broad range for the detection of mercury, from 20 μg/L (20 ppb) to 1000 mg/L (1000 ppm), was established, by optimizing the experimental conditions. In urine samples, mercury could be detected also, at levels as low as 50 μg/L (50 ppb) or above. Mercury was detected by complexation with dithizone followed by TLC, also in the presence of other heavy metals, including arsenic, cadmium, lead, copper, iron, zinc, and nickel. The method is simple, cheap, and has no interference of the matrix present in the natural water and aqueous industrial effluent samples obtained from the field. Further, no sophisticated instrument is needed for the detection of mercury.