Determination of porphyrins and metalloporphyrins using liquid chromatography-diode array detection and mass spectrometry.

A HPLC procedure has been optimized and successfully applied to porphyrins of environmental interest, such as etio and octaethylporphyrins and their VO and Ni compounds. The use of UV-Vis diode array allowed the detection of the analytes within the 5-15 ng/ml range. In order to achieve greater specificity and some structural information, the coupling of liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry was investigated, and the particle beam interface conditions were optimized. Electron impact (EI) spectra, comparable to those reported in the literature were obtained. The entire procedure has been applied to a real marine sediment, previously spiked with porphyrins to resemble oil-contaminated samples. The results pointed out that the method is suitable for such levels of analytes (5-10 microg/ml), allowing their identification and quantification with no need for purification steps.

Evaluation and comparison of two selective extraction procedures for heavy metal speciation in sediments.

Two sequential extraction procedures (the former proposed by the Standard, Measurements and Testing-SM&T-program of European Union and the latter derived from those of Tessier and Forstner with various modifications) have been compared, by analyzing a reference material (CRM 601) certified for the content of heavy metals in the three solutions resulting from the SM&T procedure. Scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDX) was used to evaluate the composition of the residues after various extractions. Reliable results, both in terms of precision and accuracy, were obtained for the first two steps of the SM&T scheme. As regards the third step, because it was modified during this work, a direct comparison of our results with those certified is not possible. SEM analysis confirmed that the scheme previously used in the laboratory was more aggressive compared to the SM&T procedure, which has also the advantage that the only CRM available for metal partitioning in sediments is certified using this method.

Determination of trace amounts of vanadyl porphyrin in marine mussel tissues by high-performance liquid chromatography with both ultraviolet/visible and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometric detection.

An HPLC method with UV/VIS and ICP-AES detection is described for the determination of vanadyl porphyrins extracted from biological samples. A detection limit of 50 ng of vanadium was obtained. The method was used to determine these compounds following their extraction from tissues of mussels treated in laboratory experiments and collected during a 'Mussel Watch Programme'. This allowed some conclusions about vanadium speciation in marine organisms to be made. In the tissues of mussels, collected at several sites of the monitored area, which showed high vanadium concentrations, it was possible to establish the presence of this metal in the form of organometallic compounds.

Spectroscopic evaluation of interactions among trace elements and biogenic carbonates in the marine environment.

The interactions between trace elements and biogenic carbonates (marine mussel shells) in aqueous media were evaluated. The behaviour of Mn, Cu, Co, and Cd was investigated using spectrometric techniques (electrothermal atomic absorption, inductively coupled plasma atomic emission and electron paramagnetic resonance). The results obtained show that the metals considered do not form a distinct precipitated phase on the shell surfaces, but that they interact with the CaCO3. This study aimed to provide more information on the mechanisms involved in the storage of trace elements by the shells of marine bivalves. This would allow the use of mussel shells as an alternative to soft tissues for trace metal analyses in biological monitoring programmes.