Direct determination of mercury at the sub-picogram per gram level in polar snow and ice by ICP-SFMS

F. A. M. Planchon; P. Gabrielli; P. A. Gauchard; A. Dommergue; C. Barbante; W. R. L. Cairns; G. Cozzi; S. A. Nagorski; C. P. Ferrari; C. F. Boutron; G. Capodaglio; P. Cescon; A. Varga; E. W. Wolff

doi:10.1039/B402711F

Direct determination of mercury at the sub-picogram per gram level in polar snow and ice by ICP-SFMS†

F. A. M. Planchon,^a P. Gabrielli,^bc P. A. Gauchard,^b A. Dommergue,^b C. Barbante,*^ac W. R. L. Cairns,^a G. Cozzi,^c S. A. Nagorski,^b C. P. Ferrari,^bd C. F. Boutron,^be G. Capodaglio,^c P. Cescon,^ac A. Varga^c and E. W. Wolff^f

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* Corresponding authors

^a Institute for the Dynamics of Environmental Processes-CNR, University of Venice, Ca'Foscari, Dorsoduro 2137, 30123 Venice, Italy
E-mail: barbante@unive.it
Fax: 39-041-2578549
Tel: +39-041-2348942

^b Laboratoire de Glaciologie et Géophysique de l'Environnement du C.N.R.S., 54, rue Molière, Boîte Postale 96, 38402 Saint Martin d'Hères, France

^c Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Venice, Ca'Foscari, Dorsoduro 2137, 30123 Venice, Italy

^d Polytech Grenoble, Université Joseph Fourier de Grenoble (Institut Universitaire de France), 28 Avenue Benoît Frachon, B. P. 53, 38041 Grenoble, France

^e Unité de Formation et de Recherche de Physique et Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers, Université Joseph Fourier de Grenoble (Institut Universitaire de France), Boîte Postale 68, 38041 Grenoble, France

^f British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, United Kingdom

Abstract

An analytical method for the direct determination of mercury (Hg) in polar snow and ice cores and surface snow based on inductively coupled plasma sector field mass spectrometry (ICP-SFMS) has been developed. Various Hg isotopes, such as ¹⁹⁹Hg, ²⁰⁰Hg, ²⁰¹Hg and ²⁰²Hg, appear to be free of polyatomic interferences in such matrices and allow the measurements to be made in low resolution mode, leading to high sensitivity. Ultra-low concentration Hg standards (from 1.5 to 20 pg g⁻¹) were used for the calibration of the Thermo Finnigan MAT Element2, and a detection limit as low as 0.18 pg g⁻¹ was achieved using ²⁰²Hg. Ultra-clean procedures used from field sampling to final laboratory analysis show no significant blank contributions and appear suitable for the reliable determination of Hg at ultra-low concentrations. Precision of the Hg measurements was estimated to be 15% in terms of relative standard deviation on five replicates and accuracy was checked with an analytical reference material (102% recovery). Hg concentrations in surface snow samples from the Northern Hemisphere collected in the Canadian Arctic and in Svalbard (Norway) show high variability (1.2–32.0 pg g⁻¹). In Antarctica, Hg was determined in different ice core sections from Dome C, spanning the last 18000 years BP (range from 0.7 to 3.2 pg g⁻¹), and in snow samples from Coats Land covering the last 150 years (range from 0.2 to 16.1 pg g⁻¹).

Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry

Direct determination of mercury at the sub-picogram per gram level in polar snow and ice by ICP-SFMS†

Abstract

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Direct determination of mercury at the sub-picogram per gram level in polar snow and ice by ICP-SFMS

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