Antonia M Carro

• University of Santiago de Compostela

The occurrence of carbonyl compounds and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in adult formulas is a critical issue in product safety and quality. This research manuscript reports the determination of targeted and untargeted carbonyl compounds and VOCs in adult formulas stored at different temperatures (room temperature, 4 °C, and 60 °C) over one mont...

Infant formula is the only food product suitable for infants during the first months of life. Therefore, evaluating food contaminants is essential for ensuring infant food safety. We developed a miniaturized QuEChERS (µ-QuEChERS) method combined with Dispersive Liquid-Liquid Microextraction (DLLME) to detect acrylamide, glycidamide, and acetamide i...

Catechins, renowned for their antioxidant properties and health benefits, are commonly present in beverages, particularly tea and wine. An efficient and cost-effective salting-out assisted liquid–liquid extraction (SALLE) method has been developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of six catechins and caffeine in tea and wine samples...

The refinement and optimization of a method combining headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was successfully performed for the first time to determine seven carbonyl and dicarbonyl compounds, including glyoxal, methylglyoxal, dimethylglyoxal, and malondialdehyde in infant formulae, related...

Infant formulae are the only possible alternative to breastfeeding during the first year of life, so it is crucial to assure their innocuousness. Infant formula undergoes heat treatments to ensure safety and shelf life. However, such processes impact health as they lead to the formation of malondialdehyde, acrolein, and α-dicarbonyl compounds, rela...

Ultrasound-accelerated hydrolysis is effectively used for the first time in the release of 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol (3-MCPD) from its fatty esters. Indirect determination of 3-MCPDE fatty acid esters was performed under alkaline and acid conditions using sodium methoxide and sulfuric acid, respectively, prior to GC-MS analysis. Dispersive liqui...

Lipid peroxidation, the most aggressive reaction in food, results in the formation of reactive organic compounds that detrimentally impact food sensory qualities and consumers’ health. While controlled lipid peroxidation can enhance flavors and appearance in certain foods, secondary peroxidation products lead to sensory deterioration in a variety o...

A simple, fast and effective direct method based on HPLC-APCI-QqQ-MS/MS has been developed to simultaneously determine four 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol monoesters (3-MCPDE) esterified with palmitic, linoleic, stearic, and oleic acid, and two glycidyl esters (GE) with palmitic and oleic acid in margarine and olive oil using a QuEChERS approach. Fac...

A novel, fast, and cost-effective indirect enzymatic method was successfully developed to assess the total 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol (3-MCPD) in canned food's oil fraction by the action of Burkholderia cepacia lipase. The total 3-MCPD were derivatized with n-Heptafluorobutyrylimidazole (HFBI) for GC-MS analysis during dispersive liquid-liquid mi...

A new, fast, simple, and effective ultrasound-assisted dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction procedure (UA-DLLME) for the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) determination of malondialdehyde, acrolein, and 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal in beverages was successfully developed. 2,4-Dinitrophenylhydrazine derivatization was performed during extracti...

New psychoactive substances (NPS) continue to emerge in the drug market every year, becoming a global threat to public health and safety. These compounds are mostly synthetic cannabinoids and designer cathinones. However, synthetic opioids have appeared on the recreational drug markets in recent years, particularly fentanyl and its derivatives (“fe...

The illicit market for new psychoactive substances (NPS) is continuously growing. Designer benzodiazepines (DBZD) and Z-hypnotics are increasingly being used for self-medication or recreational purposes. The limited regulation and little biological information available about NPS have raised the need for analytical methods capable of extracting and...

A new and sensitive analytical method for the simultaneous determination of secondary lipid peroxidation aldehydes has been successfully developed and validated. Malondialdehyde, acrolein, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, propanal, and pentanal were extracted and derivatized using 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH) by gas-diffusion microextraction (GDME)...

Lipid peroxidation produces many primary and secondary oxidation products such as malondialdehyde (MDA) which have been widely used in the evaluation of oxidative status in various food and biological samples. The presence of MDA in oil samples, not only could decrease its quality and nutritional characteristics but also represents a potential risk...

An environmentally friendly and low-cost material based on cellulose filter paper modified with β-cyclodextrin (β-CD)was designed to uptake and elute drugs for water purification. To carry out the work, a β-CD derivative was first obtained through reaction of β-CD with N-(hydroxymethyl)acrylamide (NMA), and then β-CD-NMA was grafted on cellulose by...

The growing use of antidepressants in recent years has led to their increasing presence in forensic analyses. In this work, microextraction by packed sorbent followed by ultra‐performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection provided a fast method for determining the antidepressants mirtazapine, venlafaxine, escitalopram, fluoxetin...

Drugs of abuse and new psychoactive substances (NPS) for recreational purposes are in constant evolution, and their consumption constitutes a significant risk to public health and road safety. The development of an analytical methodology to confirm the intake of illicit drugs in biological fluids is required for an effective control of these substa...

A fast and effective method using a modified QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe) approach which includes partitioned liquid-liquid extraction (PLLE) and dispersive solid phase extraction (dSPE) clean-up step for the determination of seven 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol (3-MCPD) fatty acid diesters in vegetable oils is developed...

The emergence in recent years of potentially dangerous new psychoactive substances (NPS) that are not under international control has led to the development of multi-analyte procedures for their unequivocal quantification. A fast ultra-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method (UPLC-MS/MS), in combination with a sample pretr...

In this work, a simple methodology was developed for the extraction and determination of free formaldehyde content in cork agglomerate samples. For the first time, gas-diffusion microextraction was used for the extraction of volatile formaldehyde directly from samples, with simultaneous derivatization with acetylacetone (Hantzsch reaction). The abs...

A miniaturized and simple method based on digitally programmed microextraction by packed sorbent (eVol®-MEPS) coupled to ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) has been developed for quantitative determination of three synthetic cathinones and seven conventional drugs of abuse and metabolites. The influence of several extraction parameters,...

Polymers for recovery/removal of the antimicrobial agent oxytetracycline (OTC) from aqueous media were developed with use of computational design and molecular imprinting. 2-Hydroxyethyl methacrylate, 2-acrylamide-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid (AMPS), and mixtures of the two were chosen according to their predicted affinity for OTC and evaluated as...

A simple Ultrasounds Assisted-Dispersive Liquid Liquid Microextraction (UA-DLLME) method is presented for the simultaneous determination of six second-generation antidepressants in plasma by Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography with Photodiode Array Detector (UPLC-PDA). The main factors that potentially affect to DLLME were optimized by a screen...

The interest of consumers and government organizations on improving the quality of food and its impact on human health is growing in recent years. Consuming low-calorie foodstuffs are increasingly demanded, and the presence of artificial sweeteners plays an important role not only in food but also in waste reaching the environment. Analysis of thes...

The benzodiazepines are used in self-poisoning in a large number of countries. In large doses, they cause coma, respiratory depression and death, and also maximize the toxicity of other depressants of the central nervous system, hence the importance of developing new methods for their extraction and determination. The Microextraction by Packed Sorb...

Chloropropanols are processing toxicants with a potential risk to human health due to the increased intake of processed foods. A rapid and efficient method for the determination of three chloropropanols in human plasma was developed using ultrasound assisted dispersive liquid-liquid micro extraction. The method involved derivatization and extractio...

The high consumption of tranquilizers and hypnotics constitutes a public health problem in most economically developed societies. Benzodiazepines (BZD) have a wide range of therapeutic safety but the intake in combination with other drugs of abuse can cause a high risk. Rapid and reliable analytical methods are demanded for quantification of BZD. T...

This review focuses on the fundamentals of stimuli-responsive materials and their applications to three common separation techniques, namely extraction, chromatography, and electrophoresis. Although still little investigated, materials that switch their affinity for the analyte on and off as a function of tiny changes in physical and biochemical va...

Two fast, accurate and sensitive liquid chromatography methods have been developed and optimized for a better control of the content of artificial sweeteners in industrial beverages. Ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled with photodiode array (UPLC–PDA) and liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (LC–ESI–MS/...

Ultrasound-assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (UA-DLLME) combined with ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) was developed for the determination of seven benzodiazepines (alprazolam, bromazepam, clonazepam, diazepam, lorazepam, lormetazepam and tetrazepam) in urine samples and hospital wastewater. Several parameters affectin...

Opioids and cocaine are widely used at present, both for recreational purposes and as drugs of abuse. This raises the need to develop new analytical methods specifically designed for the simultaneous detection of several drugs of abuse in biological samples. In this work, dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (DLLME) was assessed as a new sample...

A novel approach involving ultrasound-assisted dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (UA-DLLME) and derivatization combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was developed for the determination of chloropropanols in water and beverages. UA-DLLME was optimized as less solvent-consuming and cost-effective extraction method for water, fruit...

An analytical method was developed for the simultaneous determination of bromazepam, alprazolam, lorazepam, lormetazepam, diazepam and tetrazepam in vitreous humor, using microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) optimized by a central composite design followed by desirability functions, and high performance liquid chromatography coupled to a photodiode...

A simple method is presented for the simultaneous determination of morphine, 6-acetylmorphine, codeine, cocaine, benzoylecgonine, cocaethylene, methadone and 2-ethylidene-1,5-dimethyl-3,3-diphenylpyrrolidine (EDDP) in vitreous humor by high-performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detector after solid-phase extraction with Oasis® HLB...

Pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) is an exhaustive technique used for the extraction of analytes from solid samples. Temperature, pressure, solvent type and volume, and the addition of other reagents notably influence the efficiency of the extraction. The analytical applications of this technique can be improved by coupling with appropriate deriv...

The performance of microwave-assisted extraction and HPLC with photodiode array detection method for determination of six analgesic and anti-inflammatory drugs from plasma and urine, is described, optimized, and validated. Several parameters affecting the extraction technique were optimized using experimental designs. A four-factor (temperature, ph...

A simple and efficient ultrasound-assisted dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (UA-DLLME) method has been developed for the determination of seven benzodiazepines (alprazolam, bromazepam, clonazepam, diazepam, lorazepam, lormetazepam and tetrazepam) in human plasma samples. Chloroform and methanol were used as extractant and disperser solvents...

Chemicals are widely used in aquaculture and one of the main recipients of these analytes is the aquatic environment. The aim of this work was to develop and validate a simple and sensitive method for the determination of multiclass chemotherapeutic agents in farmed fish and shellfish using matrix solid-phase dispersion and liquid chromatography-ta...

Products containing organophosphates, carbamates and pyrethroids pesticides, employed as chemotherapeutants in aquaculture, can remain as residues in the marine environment. Matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) was developed to extract seventeen pesticides from seaweed samples using Florisil and graphitized carbon black as clean-up adsorbents prior...

A simple solvent-less procedure for the determination of seventeen pesticides and related compounds in environmental water and wastewater using dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry in tandem (GC-MS/MS) with large-volume injection, having a programmed temperature vaporizer (PTV-LVI), is d...

Chemical residues, such as insecticides and anthelmintics, are frequently redistributed from the aquatic environment to marine species. This work reports on a fast validated protocol for the analysis of azamethiphos, three avermectins, two carbamates and two benzoylurea pesticides and chemotherapeutic agents in seaweeds based on pressurized liquid...

An analytical method for the simultaneous determination of paracetamol, salicylic acid, metamizol, tramadol, ibuprofen and diclofenac in plasma, using High Performance Liquid Chromatography with a photodiode array detector (HPLC-PDA) was developed. A solid-phase extraction (SPE) using Oasis HLB® cartridges was applied. After conditioning the cartri...

A sensitive and rapid derivatization method for the simultaneous determination of 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol (1,3-DCP) and 3-chloropropane-1,2-diol (3-MCPD) in water samples has been developed. The aim was to research the optimal conditions of the derivatization process for two selected reagents. A central composite design was used to determine the in...

3-Chloropropane-1,2-diol (3-MCPD) and 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol (1,3-DCP) were determined for the first time in bakery foods using pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) combined with in situ derivatization and GC-MS analysis. This one-step protocol uses N,O-bis(trimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide (BSTFA) as silylation reagent. Initially, screening experi...

Robust and simple validated analytical methods are required in postmortem toxicology to confirm immunoassay screening analysis of drugs of abuse. In this work, microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) was evaluated as an alternative method for extraction of target compounds such as cocaine, benzoylecgonine, cocaethylene, morphine, codeine, 6-monoacetylm...

Template removal is a critical step in the preparation of most molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs). The polymer network itself and the affinity of the imprinted cavities for the template make its removal hard. If there are remaining template molecules in the MIPs, less cavities will be available for rebinding, which decreases efficiency. Furtherm...

The design and implementation of a virtual classroom on the WebCT platform for the course Chemistry Project at the University of Santiago de Compostela in Spain are described. Problem-based learning has been implemented in this course. The topic of the course belongs to the experimental training block and its objective is to provide the student of...

A microwave-assisted extraction method followed by clean-up with solid-phase extraction (SPE) combined with large-volume injection gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LVI-GC-MS/MS) for the analysis of 17 pesticides in wild and aquaculture edible seaweeds has been developed. An experimental central composite design was employed to evaluate...

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 100 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.

A simple and fast procedure is presented for the simultaneous determination of alprazolam, bromazepam, diazepam, lorazepam, lormetazepam, and tetrazepam in human plasma. The drugs were isolated by solid-phase extraction, and the subsequent analysis was carried out by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a diode-array detector (HPLC-D...

A simple and fast microwave-assisted-extraction (MAE) method has been evaluated as an alternative to solid-phase extraction (SPE) for the determination of six benzodiazepines widely prescribed in European countries (alprazolam, bromazepam, diazepam, lorazepam, lormetazepam and tetrazepam) in human plasma. For MAE optimization a Doehlert experimenta...

A rapid method for the simultaneous identification and quantification of pesticide residues in edible seaweed has been developed. Target analytes were three pyrethroid, a carbamate and two organophosphorus pesticides. The procedure consists of a pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) with integrated clean-up, followed by gas chromatography coupled to...

A rapid and cleanup-free microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) method is proposed for the simultaneous extraction of six illegal drugs of abuse – cocaine, benzoylecgonine (BZE), cocaethylene (CCE), morphine, 6-monoacethylmorphine (6AM) and codeine – from human hair samples. The analytes were determined using high performance liquid chromatography (HP...

The headspace solid-phase micro-extraction technique with on-fibre derivatisation followed by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry has been evaluated for the analysis of 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol in water. An asymmetric factorial design has been performed to study the influence of five experimental factors: extraction time and temperature, der...

The efficiency of microwave-assisted extraction with saponification (MAES) for the determination of seven polybrominated flame retardants (polybrominated biphenyls, PBBs; and polybrominated diphenyl ethers, PBDEs) in aquaculture samples is described and compared with microwave-assisted extraction (MAE). Chemometric techniques based on experimental...

A sensitive and efficient solid-phase microextraction (SPME) method for the determination of organophosphorous (OPPs) and pyrethroid pesticides (Pyrs) in aquaculture-seawater samples by using GC with MS/MS (GC-MS/MS) was developed. Dichlorvos and chlorpyrifos (OPPs); permethrin, alpha-cypermethrin and deltamethrin (Pyrs) were selected according to...

This article focuses on the state-of-the-art in sample preparation using supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), to monitor the content of polyhalogenated pollutants in aquaculture and marine environmental samples. Marine sediments and biological applications, including several types of samples matrices (fish, shellfish, seaweed and fish feed) and an...

A sample preparation procedure using microwave energy is proposed for the determination of morphine, 6-acetylmorphine, codeine, cocaine, cocaethylene, benzoylecgonine, methadone, and 2-ethylene-1,5-dimethyl-3,3-diphenylpyrrolidine in human plasma. A screening asymmetrical factorial design was used to identify the most suitable extraction conditions...

This paper describes the first validated method for the extraction, purification and determination of trace levels of a number of pollutants of growing concern, including polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), in aquaculture feeds and products. The new procedure comprises microwave-assisted extraction (MAE; opti...

Microwave assisted extraction (MAE) was used to extract drugs of abuse from urine samples for the simultaneous determination of morphine, codeine, 6-acetylmorphine (6AM), cocaine, cocaethylene, benzoylecgonine (BEG), methadone and 2-ethylidene-1,5-dimethyl-3,3-diphenylpyrrolidine (EDDP) by high performance liquid chromatography with diode array det...

A useful tool based on a single-step extraction and clean-up procedure for the determination of 15 organohalogenated pollutants (including brominated flame retardants) in aquaculture samples, using aluminium oxide basic and acidic silica gel in the supercritical extraction cell followed by gas chromatography with electron capture detection or mass...

An effective multiresidual method for the trace analysis of fifteen compounds from a diverse group of pesticides, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs) and polybrominated biphenyl (PBBs) in aquaculture feed is described. The analytical procedure is based on the matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) of feed sample an...

The persistence, ubiquity, and toxicity of polyhalogenated compounds, together with their presence in fish feed, make it necessary to monitor these organic pollutants in the routine quality assurance programs of aquaculture activities, as this food chain is a source of these toxic compounds for human consumers. A new approach based on simultaneous...

The screening of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water samples by means of the strategic sample composition (SSC) technique is presented. SSC uses special supersaturated composition matrices to perform sample composition and analysed the results obtained in the analytical determination of these composite samples by means of evolutionary assiste...

A solvent-free method for the determination of five estrogens in water samples at the low ng/l was optimized. Compounds were first concentrated on a polyacrylate (PA) solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fiber, directly exposed to the water sample, and then on-fiber silylated on the headspace of a vial containing 50 microl of N-methyl-N-(trimethylsil...

The usefulness of the strategically designed sample composition (SSC) methodology for the screening of four anti-inflammatory drugs (ibuprofen, naproxen, tolfenamic acid and diclofenac) in water samples is demonstrated. Assuming that in screening campaigns only a limited number of the samples are contaminated with the analytes, the proposed approac...

The authors propose the use of supersaturated experimental designs for composite sampling and demonstrate their efficiency and economy in the environmental screening of pesticide residues. Because supersaturated designs are factorial designs in which the number of factors examined exceeds the number of experiments performed, they provide a direct e...

A sensitive and solvent-free procedure for the determination of non-steroidal acidic anti-inflammatory drugs in water samples was optimized using solid-phase microextraction (SPME) followed by on-fiber silylation of the acidic compounds and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) determination. Microextraction was carried out directly over the...

A procedure for the determination of six natural and synthetic estrogens (diethylstilbestrol, estrone, 17beta-estradiol, mestranol, 17alpha-ethinylestradiol and estriol) in water samples is described. Samples, up to 2000 ml, were concentrated using Oasis HLB solid-phase extraction cartridges. Analytes were derivatized with N-methyl-N-(trimethylsily...

Strategically designed sample composition (SSC) is a new technique that decreases the number of analytical determinations needed in routine screening to as few as the number of original sample specimens while providing information that is specific to them. Although this new technique has been applied to environmental studies, this paper describes i...

Strategic Sample Composition (SSC) is a new sample composition technique that allows the reduction of the number of analytical determinations to be carried out in screening campaigns down to the very number of the original sample specimens while providing information particularised to the original sample specimens instead of average information. Th...

A procedure is described for the determination of five acidic non-steroidal anti-inflammatory pharmaceuticals (ibuprofen, naproxen, ketoprofen, tolfenamic acid and diclofenac) in sewage water. The analytical method involves the concentration of water samples using a solid-phase extraction polymeric sorbent, functionalized with N-vinylpyrrolidone. A...

A method is proposed for the extraction and determination of organomercury compounds and Hg(II) in seawater samples by headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) combined with capillary gas chromatography-microwave-induced plasma atomic emission spectrometry. The mercury species were derivatized with sodium tetraphenylborate, sorbed on a polyd...

A new strategy for building up composite samples, using experimental design matrices, useful in environmental and water quality control screening studies, is presented. While fixing the number of experiments to be carried out this chemometric strategic approach provides us not only with unbiased estimates of the true population mean, but also with...

A new strategy for preparing composite samples of special interest and applicability in environmental screening studies is presented. The use of supersaturated experimental design matrices to conduct the sample composition of water sample specimens in screening studies is demonstrated. In contrast to well known conventional sample composition, this...

A method for the extraction and gas chromatographic determination of methylmercury in biological matrices is presented. By combining the advantages of two extraction techniques-microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) and solid-phase microextraction (SPME)--the separation of methylmercury from biological samples is possible. Specifically, the procedure...

An energy, volume and mass (EVM) model, involving four physico-chemical descriptor variables, i.e. van der Waals energy, internal energy, volume, and mass, to successfully predict the glass transition temperatures (Tg) of aliphatic acrylate and methacrylate polymers, has been previously described. The EVM model is as good, or better, as the previou...

Because of their high toxicity and widespread distribution, the reliable selective quantification of alkyl and aryl species containing mercury, tin, or lead has been one of the goals of speciation analysis in recent years. Since becoming commercially available, GC-MIP-AED has been one of the most-used tools in this work. In this paper, the value an...

In a multi-response situation [solid-phase extraction (SPE) of 18 organochlorine and nine organophosphorus pesticides from aqueous solution], several response variables are considered, and the optimization problem is more complex than in the single response case. Experimental design combined with desirability function was applied for the optimizati...

A new procedure for the resolution of supersaturated matrices is presented. This procedure is based on genetic algorithm-driven regression, using an efficient system of genetic operators' competence. Genetic regression is compared with stepwise regression and all-subsets regression that has been proposed to solve this type of matrices. Presented re...

A new procedure for the building and selection of supersaturated design matrices is presented. The procedure is useful in generating screening experimental designs in the range 8–22 runs. An evolutionary algorithm is used to select between all possible candidate columns, which in turn, are a function of the selected run number, those producing the...

A simultaneous microwave-assisted extraction-derivatization procedure was developed and optimized for methylmercury analysis from biological samples. The analyte was derivatized with sodium tetraphenylborate forming a more hydrophobic compound, methylphenylmercury, which was extractable in toluene. The microwave extraction-derivatization procedure...

Trace metals such as mercury, especially its organic compounds, are an important risk to the environment and to man due to their accumulation in the food chain. For this reason, the routine determination of the very toxic methylmercury, and of other organic and inorganic mercury compounds in marine and land animals, vegetables, fruits and fresh wat...

Determination of heteroelement organic compounds at environmental levels requires highly efficient chromatographic separations and selective and sensitive detection. For this purpose, a capillary gas chromatographic–helium atmospheric pressure microwave-induced plasma atomic emission detection method was developed for the simultaneous determination...

Methylmercury (MeHg) has been extracted from biological samples using Microwave Assisted Extraction (MAE). In order to find the optimal experimental conditions to extract samples a screening experimental design was used allowing the establishment of the significant MAE operating variables affecting the total recovery of Methylmercury. A reference m...

During recent decades the speciation of organomercurials has been a challenge to analytical laboratories dealing with environmental studies. Although easily detectable levels of organomercurials, and especially of methylmercury, are found in marine predators and biota, sediments are of fundamental interest as they provide a tool for assessing the i...

During recent decades the speciation of organomercurials has been a challenge to analytical laboratories dealing with environmental studies. Although easily detectable levels of organomercurials, and especially of methylmercury, are found in marine predators and biota, sediments are of fundamental interest as they provide a tool for assessing the i...

The authors provide a direct compari son of gas chromatography (GC) with electron-capture detection, GC with atomic emission spectrometry, and capillary electrophoresis using direct injection and sample stacking. They used each method to determine methylmercury in sediments and marine biological samples. This article describes the efficiencies, mer...