SPECIATION OF MERCURY BY REVERSED-PHASE LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHY WITH INDUCTIVELY-COUPLED PLASMA-MASS SPECTROMETRIC DETECTION

An inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer coupled with ultrasonic nebulization was used as a detector for the liquid chromatographic determination of mercury compounds. The detection limits were in the range 70-160 pg of Hg. The method was applied to the determination of methylmercury in a National Research Council of Canada Reference Material DORM-1 Dogfish Muscle, of thimerosal in contact lens solutions and of inorganic mercury in waste water reference solution. Good agreement was observed between the literature or expected values and the experimentally determined values. The precision was better than 8% for all determinations.