Abstract
A quantitative procedure has been developed for the determination of submicrogram quantities of mercury in atmospheric, biological, and aquatic samples. In the analysis of biological and water samples, organically bound mercury is oxidized with nitric acid, and all mercury present is reduced to the elemental state with stannous chloride. The liberated mercury is driven by an air current through impregnated charcoal for approximately 2 minutes. A glass tube packed with impregnated charcoal is used to take integrated atmospheric samples. All charcoal samples are analyzed directly for mercury with an atomic absorption sampling boat assembly. Measurement of the recorder peak height is used to determine the quantity of mercury present. The total analysis time is less than 5 minutes for aqueous samples, and the minimum detectable quantity of mercury is 0.02 microgram. After collection of mercury, the charcoal samples may be stored for later analysis.