Peter Matúš

• PhD
• Head of Department at Comenius University Bratislava

Biotransformation of ochres, a material crucial in immobilizing toxic elements, such as arsenic and antimony, found in mine effluents is investigated by Mössbauer spectrometry. Incubation of ochreous sediments was performed with the fungus Aspergillus niger . Neutron activation analysis determined the elemental composition. The findings demonstrate...

Iodine is a critical trace element necessary for human and animal health owing to its role in thyroid hormone synthesis. Despite its importance, iodine deficiency remains a global health concern. Traditional methods to address this issue, such as salt iodization, face challenges like iodine loss during storage and cooking. The biofortification of p...

This study investigates the biosorption capabilities of kefir grains, a polysaccharide-based byproduct of the fermentation process, for removing copper(II) and arsenic(V) from contaminated water. Unlike traditional heavy-metal removal methods, which are typically expensive and involve environmentally harmful chemicals, biopolymeric materials such a...

Structural alterations in non-stoichiometric magnetite induced by microorganisms are studied by nuclear methods. Magnetite samples were exposed to fungal strain known for its immobilization capabilities. Neutron activation analysis identified iron as the dominant element. The presence of maghemite in non-stoichiometric magnetite complicates the det...

This research paper provides a comprehensive overview of the use of layered double hydroxides (LDH) in the removal of selenium species from contaminated water sources. Key studies on sorption mechanisms and the impact of competing ions on selenium removal are presented, and the effectiveness of LDH is compared across different structures and compos...

This study deals with the fabrication of smart anisotropic composite systems capable of reacting to light stimulus and reversibly providing significant change in the length. Surface‐modified carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and poly(pyrrole) (PPy) nanotubes were used as photoactive fillers. Anisotropic composites containing these fillers and poly( N ‐vinyl...

Stable iodine isotopes are essential for humans as they are necessary for producing thyroid gland hormones. However, there are hazardous radioactive iodine isotopes that are emitted into the environment through radioactive waste generated by nuclear power plants, nuclear weapon tests, and medical practice. Due to the biophilic character of iodine r...

The use of pesticides in agricultural practices raises concerns considering the toxic effects they generate in the environment; thus, their sustainable application in crop production remains a challenge. One of the frequently addressed issues regarding their application includes the development of a sustainable and ecofriendly approach for their de...

Manganese oxides are considered an essential component of natural geochemical barriers due to their redox and sorptive reactivity towards essential and potentially toxic trace elements. Despite the perception that they are in a relatively stable phase, microorganisms can actively alter the prevailing conditions in their microenvironment and initiat...

Selenium can be highly toxic in excess for both animals and humans. However, since its mobile forms can be easily adsorbed with ferric minerals, its mobility in the natural oxic environment is generally not an issue. Still, the removal and immobilization of the long-lived radioactive isotope ⁷⁹Se from the contaminated anoxic waters is currently a s...

Biosorption is considered an effective technique for the treatment of heavy-metal-bearing wastewaters. In recent years, various biogenic products, including native and functionalized biopolymers, have been successfully employed in technologies aiming for the environmentally sustainable immobilization and removal of heavy metals at contaminated site...

Pseudomonas biofilms have been studied intensively for several decades and research outcomes have been successfully implemented in various medical and agricultural applications. Research on biofilm synthesis and composition has also overlapped with the objectives of environmental sciences, since biofilm components show exceptional physicochemical p...

Iodine is an essential micronutrient for most living beings, including humans. Despite efforts through various iodine deficiency disorders elimination programs, such as salt iodization, this problem still persists. Sub-clinical deficiencies have often an endemic character, and they are characteristic to certain areas, where iodine is low or inacces...

Bioleaching of mineral phases plays a crucial role in the mobility and availability of various elements, including selenium. Therefore, the leachability of selenium associated with the surfaces of ferric and manganese oxides and oxyhydroxides, the prevailing components of natural geochemical barriers, has been studied in the presence of filamentous...

This work aimed to examine the bioleaching of manganese oxides at various oxidation states (MnO, MnO·Mn2O3, Mn2O3 and MnO2) by a strain of the filamentous fungus Aspergillus niger, a frequent soil representative. Our results showed that the fungus effectively disintegrated the crystal structure of selected mineral manganese phases. Thereby, during...

Iron-based nanomaterials have high technological impacts on various pro-environmental applications, including wastewater treatment using the co-precipitation method. The purpose of this research was to identify the changes of iron nanomaterial’s structure caused by the presence of selenium, a typical water contaminant, which might affect the remova...

Smart gel materials are capable of controlling and switching swelling, water state, and wettability properties triggered by external stimuli. In this study, we fabricated a series of polyelectrolyte hydrogels bearing a 3-trimethylammoniumpropyl pendant to a methacrylamide-based backbone and examined the switchability with hydrophobic-like counteran...

Natural ferric ochres that precipitate in streambeds at abandoned mining sites are natural scavengers of various metals and metalloids. Thus, their chemical and structural modification via microbial activity should be considered in evaluation of the risks emerging from probable spread of contamination at mining sites. Our results highlight the role...

Humic substances belong to a complex and heterogeneous group of soil organic matter that provide active redox and sorption sites for various potentially toxic metals and metalloids. One of the other soil components that may significantly affect humic substance-metal(loid) interactions is microbial community that plays a vital role in mobility of va...

A modification of cotton fabric surface using surface-initiated oxygen-tolerant photochemically induced atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-photoATRP) of 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) with subsequent quaternization to impart antibacterial properties is reported. First,...

Iodine is an essential micronutrient that enters the food chain from soil primarily via plant root absorption. However, only water soluble and exchangeable fractions are usually linked to the bioavailable iodine in soils. Therefore, an assessment of iodine pools in soils via sequential extraction can provide useful information on the availability o...

The nanoparticles of TiO2 (TiO2 NP) have been used as a plant-growth stimulant or catalyst in pesticide formulas. However, due to high resistance of TiO2 NP to abiotic weathering, dissolved Ti is unlikely to act as an active compound in these preparations. Even if soil is acidic, TiO2 NP do not dissolve easily and preferably remain as undissolved p...

The aim of this work was to evaluate the transformation of manganese oxide (hausmannite) by microscopic filamentous fungus Aspergillus niger and the effects of the transformation on mobility and bioavailability of arsenic. Our results showed that the A. niger strain CBS 140837 greatly affected the stability of hausmannite and induced its transforma...

The evaluation of nanoparticle bioavailability or the bioavailability of dissolved elements by direct measurement through plant uptake is a strenuous process. Several multi-step sequential extraction procedures, including the BCR sequential extraction procedure, have been created to provide potential accessibility of elements, where real soil-plant...

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) belong to the most widely used nanoparticles in both commercial products and industrial applications. Hence, they are frequently released into the environment. Soil fungi can affect the mobilization of zinc from ZnO NPs in soils, and thus they can heavily influence the mobility and bioavailability of zinc there. T...

Iron-containing spontaneously precipitated ochreous sediments serve as natural scavengers of various migrating elements and in this way contribute to removal and immobilization of potentially hazardous elements especially from mine drainage outflows. On the other hand, presence of filamentous fungi in their surroundings triggers biotransformation a...

Batch experiments aimed at solid-liquid distribution of 40 nm engineered zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NP), microparticles (bulk ZnO), and ionic Zn in ZnSO4 solution were conducted on eight field soil samples of different characteristics to identify how the form of Zn affects its distribution in soil. The concentration of Zn in different size fract...

This paper investigates Aspergillus niger's behaviour in the presence of mobile Al3+ species by evaluating the changes in oxalate exudation at various aluminium contents. When the fungus was exposed to Al3+, no significant changes in oxalate production were observed until 100 mg.L-1 aluminium was reached resulting in oxalate production decrease by...

Elevated iron content in low-grade kaolin is one of the chemical factors detrimental for its industrial applications. Therefore, various physical and chemical methods have been applied to decrease iron concentration in kaolin. One of the more feasible and environmentally friendly method is biobenefication via microbially-induced bioextraction. Ther...

This paper reflects some of the recent attempts to apply microbial biomass in analytical procedures, and thus investigates prospects of fungal biomass in experimental separation of labile Al species using flame atomic absorption spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry for their quantification. The three strains of...

Adding the humic acid coating to the nanoparticles of zinc oxide (ZnO-NP) may improve the properties necessary for their colloidal stability. To show how humic acid coating affects the properties of ZnO-NP, three differently sol-gel synthesized ZnO-NP were synthesized: pristine zinc oxide nanoparticles without coating (p-ZnO-NP) and humic acid coat...

Obsah 1. Úvod 2. Zdroje organických kyselín v pôdach 2.1. Biogénne zdroje organických kyselín 3. Správanie a význam organických kyselín v pôdnom prostredí 3.1. Vplyv na pôdne pH 3.2. Sorpcia na pôdne komponenty 3.3. Rozpúšťanie pôdnych minerálov 3.4. Chelatácia potenciálne toxických prvkov 4. Záver 1. Úvod V zmysle práce 1 považujeme za pôdne organ...

This paper provides a unique comparison of the performance of four wild-type Aspergillus niger strains in remediation of aluminium(III)-contaminated aqueous solutions. The direct fungal aluminium removal via biosorption and bioaccumulation was compared among all fungal strains, including bioaccumulation efficiency during dynamic and static cultivat...

Ferric oxyhydroxides are natural scavengers of antimony, thus, they contribute significantly to antimony immobilization in soils and sediments. Recent studies, however, usually omit microbial influence on geochemically stable antimony-ferric oxyhydroxide association. Therefore, we have evaluated fungal contribution to antimony mobility during stati...

As the use of inorganic engineered nanoparticles in commercial products is increasing, the probability of their intentional or unintentional release to the environment does also increase. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance to develop methods enabling to identify, quantify and characterize these nanoparticles in the environment. Analysis of t...

We demonstrate the use of two nuclear-based analytical methods that can follow the modifications of microstructural arrangement of iron-based metallic glasses (MGs). Despite their amorphous nature, the identification of hyperfine interactions unveils faint structural modifications. For this purpose, we have employed two techniques that utilize nucl...

Bioleaching of aluminium mineral boehmite by filamentous fungus Aspergillus niger was compared to chemical leaching by citric, oxalic and hydrochloric acids to evaluate the significance of A. niger’s metabolites on aluminium mobilization from this natural component of the aluminium ore. Our results highlighted that leaching efficiency of hydrochlor...

Selenite is an environmental toxicant whose mobility is affected in soil by various natural components, including humic acids, clay minerals, amorphous ferric oxyhydroxides [FeOx(OH)y], and microorganisms. However, interactions of selenite with these components are usually evaluated separately. Therefore, we addressed selenite behavior in multicomp...

Filamentous fungi are a ubiquitous and evolutionarily successful group of eukaryotic organisms that play various vital roles in Earth's ecosystem. However, all essential ecosystem-level functions carried out by filamentous fungi are influenced in contaminated areas, where metal and metalloid pollutants can negatively affect their survival, fitness,...

Impact of exogenous ascorbic acid (AsA, 100 μM) on acute metal toxicity (Pb and Hg, 24 h of exposure to 100 μM) in unicellular green alga Coccomyxa subellipsoidea was studied. Hg (often extensively) depleted amount of pigments, potassium, soluble proteins, endogenous AsA, non-protein thiols and nitric oxide signal but elevated ROS signal and activi...

Iron-based metallic glasses (MGs) are typical representatives of disordered alloys. They exhibit amorphous structure that is lacking any long-range order. Appropriate chemical composition of MGs ensures soft magnetic properties suitable for variety of practical applications. Because the beneficial magnetic properties are closely related to structur...

The fate of engineered nanoparticles in nature is in the spotlight of many research groups, as the application of nanotechnology continues to play an ever increasing role in human lives. Soils and sediments are important porous media which can be negatively affected by the release of engineered particles into the environment. Current knowledge on t...

Pri vyšetrovaní trestnej činnosti je úlohou forenzných vedcov nájsť, prípadne vylúčiť spojenie medzi podozrivými osobami a miestom činu. Aby sa tak stalo, vedci postupne porovnávajú vzorky materiálu odobratého z miesta činu so vzorkami nájdenými na oblečení, majetku alebo v dome podozrivej osoby. Skúmaným materiálom býva často pôda. Ako prvá z pôdn...

This paper reviews the current knowledge on mobility and geochemical characteristics of iodine in soils, especially the process of sorption onto soil particles. Great emphasis is laid on the main factors affecting iodine mobility in soil, such as soil pH, oxidation/reduction state, organic matter, clay mineral and metal (Fe, Al, Mn) oxide content,...

Presence of microorganisms in soils strongly affects mobility of metals. This fact is often excluded when mobile metal fraction in soil is studied using extraction procedures. Thus, the first objective of this paper was to evaluate strain Aspergillus niger’s exometabolites contribution on aluminium mobilization. Fungal exudates collected in various...

While selenium is an essential trace element, its excessive intake causes adverse effects to human health. Therefore, selenium control and removal from water and soil are crucial in limiting environmental and human health risk. Various microorganisms have recently been exploited for use in remediation processes, especially filamentous fungi which a...

This contribution investigates the efficient and environmentally friendly aluminium leaching from red mud (bauxite residue) by 17 species of filamentous fungi. Bioleaching experiments were examined in batch cultures with the red mud in static, 7-day cultivation. The most efficient fungal strains in aluminium bioleaching were Penicillium crustosum G...

Nanocrystalline alloys are prepared by controlled annealing of metallic glass precursors. The latter are obtained by rapid quenching of a melt on a rotating wheel. This process leads to structural deviation of the produced ribbons' surfaces. Structural features of as-quenched and thermally annealed 57Fe81Mo8Cu1B10 ribbons were studied employing Con...

Heavy metal phytotoxicity assessments usually use soluble metal compounds in spiked soils to evaluate metal bioaccumulation, growth inhibition and adverse effects on physiological parameters. However, exampling mercury phytotoxicity for barley (Hordeum vulgare) this paper highlights unsuitability of this experimental approach. Mercury(II) in spiked...

Soil aggregate stability (AS) is an important indicator of soil physical quality. For the purpose of this research it was hypothesized that particular properties such as water repellency (WR) influence soil aggregation and AS. Directly after sampling, WR was detected for three soils, after a week of air-drying two of these soils still showed some r...

Application of selected separation techniques and obtained total Hg concentrations in studied plant species indicate relatively low Hg phytoavailability in studied soils. Calculated separation yields for applied separation techniques were in many cases comparable with soil-plant transfer recovery values for studied plant species. Distribution of Hg...

This article evaluates various extraction techniques’ suitability for soil mercury phytoavailable fraction assessment, including DGT method and extraction with microscopic filamentous fungi metabolites, MgCl2, rainwater, and EDTA. After mercury extraction from contaminated soils by these techniques, the obtained data were compared to mercury accumu...

Kořenková L., Šimkovic I., Dlapa P., Juráni B., Matúš P. (2015): Identifying the origin of soil water repellency at regional level using multiple soil characteristics: The White Carpathians and Myjavska pahorkatina Upland case study. Soil & Water Res., 10: 78–89. This paper evaluates the relationship between water repellency and multiple characteri...

Low temperature (4.2 K) magnetic behavior of Fe76 Mo 8Cu1B15 metallic glass was studied by 57Fe Mössbauer spectrometry (MS) and 57Fe NMR. Distributions of hyperfine magnetic fields P(B) were determined for as-quenched and annealed (nanocrystalline) samples with relative fraction of the grains about 43%. P(B) distributions were derived for both the...

This review deals with the current state of knowledge of biosorption, bioaccumulation and biovolatilization. The changes in mobility of elements occurring in the environment by biosorption, bioaccumulation and biovolatilization are an important part of their biogeochemical cycles. Biosorption and bioaccumulation can also be applied as an alternativ...

Biological methods for wastewater treatment are becoming more accepted over the world. This study it was focused on the benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes (BTEX) biodegradation under model conditions by Parachlorella kessleri. BTEX-mixture was added to the cultures as the sole carbon source, at concentration of 100 μg L-1. It was observed l...

In spite of the advances in analytical instrumentation, the use of separation and preconcentration procedures is often required prior to the determination of trace metals. They help to overcome matrix interferences and affect directly on accuracy, precision, and sensitivity of the used detection method. Among different preconcentration techniques,...

This review deals with the current state of geochemistry of Hg, especially in soils (pedogeochemistry). It also includes an overview of most frequently used analytical methods of Hg determination and fractionation in soils and plants. © 2014 Czech Society of Chemical Engineering. All Rights reserved.

As with many metals, bismuth can be accumulated or transformed by microorganisms. These interactions affect microbial consortia and bismuth environmental behaviour, mobility, and toxicity. Recent research focused specifically on bismuth anaerobic transformation by bacteria and archaea has inspired the evaluation of the mutual interactions between b...

This article evaluates mercury-resistant autochthonous filamentous fungi’s role in mercury transformation and mobility with respect to mercury biovolatilization. Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Trichoderma, and Alternaria genera isolated from mercury contaminated and non-contaminated soils were cultivated under static conditions in 8.2–32.7 mg L−1 mercu...

Unlabelled: Biovolatilization and bioaccumulation capabilities of different elements by microscopic filamentous fungus Scopulariopsis brevicaulis were observed. Accumulation of As(III), As(V), Se(IV), Se(VI), Sb(III), Sb(V), Te(IV), Te(VI), Hg(II), Tl(I) and Bi(III) by S. brevicaulis was quantified by analysing the amount of elements in biomass of...

Mutual sorption interactions between heavy metals, humic acids and fungi were evaluated in this article. While the relative amount of sorbed As(V), Sb(III) and Pb(II) slightly decreased or remained unchanged, the sorption capacity of Zn(II) increased significantly with increasing amounts of immobilized humic acids in the Ca-alginate beads. Therefor...

The purpose of this work was to evaluate the effectiveness of one-step bioleaching process applying static cultivation which involves microbial leaching of heavy metals using filamentous fungus Aspergillus niger, compared to acidic/chelating extraction with oxalic and citric acids. The e-waste, used in this study, consisted of pulverized parts from...

Leaching of Al, Fe, Sn, Co and Au from electronic wastes using organic acid and Aspergillus niger strain In this paper, the (bio)hydrometallurgical process techniques including 42-days (bio)leaching of five metals from e-wastes by citric and oxalic acid and fungi (Aspergillus niger strain) were investigated. Electronic wastes and their (bio)leacha...

In this work, solid phase extraction (SPE) using commercially available nanometer-sized TiO2 (anatase form) as a solid sorbent was utilized for separation/preconcentration of cationic Al, inorganic Sb (both antimonate Sb(V) and antimonite Sb(III)) and platinum (Pt(IV)) species. This subject is described not sufficiently in the context of analytical...

Natural goethite is a suitable inorganic sorbent for anions due to its high sorption capacity, large specific surface and surface positive charge. The sorption of As(V), Sb(V) and P(V) anions on synthetic goethite followed the Langmuir isotherm. The sorption was similar for As(V) and P(V); the affinity to goethite is considerably higher for Sb(V)....

In this work, solid phase extraction (SPE) using nano-sized TiO2 as a solid sorbent was used for separation/preconcentration of total inorganic antimony (iSb) before its determination by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS). After adsorption of iSb onto nano-sized TiO2, direct TiO2-slurry sampling was used for sample injection into...

Determination of automotive traffic-emitted platinum group metals (PGM) by inductively coupled plasma quadrupole mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was optimized. The interferences from Sr, Cu, Pb, Y, Cd, Zr and Hf were evaluated using model solutions. Plasma radiofrequency (RF) power and nebulizer gas flow were optimized for 103Rh, 105Pd, 108Pd and 195Pt....

For speciation of inorganic Sb before its determination by electrothermal AAS, two extractions were used. Solid phase extraction (SPE) with nanosized TiO 2 as a sorbent was performed in separation/preconcentration of total inorganic Sb and subsequent direct sampling of TiO 2 slurry for sample injection into a graphite tube. The cloud point extracti...

Accumulation of Sb(III) as antimonyl tartrate by Aspergillus niger strain was examined. The pH value of both antimony-free and antimony supplemented culture media declined in the first five days to extremely acidic region (approximately pH 2) and did not change during the rest of cultivation period. There were no statistically significant, microbia...

The aim was to propose and apply a relatively simple and rapid method for the direct determination of carboplatin ([diammine( 1,1 - cyclobutanedicarboxylato)-platinum(II)] species in blood serum of chemotherapy patients by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ET AAS) after its optimization and verification comparing measured results with...

In this work, removal of Pt(IV) from aqueous solutions was investigated. Batch adsorption experiments using nanometer-sized titanium dioxide (nano-TiO2) as a sorbent were performed for this purpose. The optimal pH for the maximal adsorption of Pt(IV) was found to be pH 4.0. The kinetic data were analyzed on the basis of pseudo-firstorder and pseudo...

Chemical and biological leaching of Zn and As from synthetic mineral adamite (Zn2AsO4(OH)) was performed using oxalic and citric acids and Aspergillus niger strain in water. Adamite and its bioleachates were analyzed for Zn and As by coulometry, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The fungal strain was able to r...

Biological and chemical leaching of arsenic and zinc from adamite This paper is focused on leaching and bioleaching of Zn and As from synthetic mineral adamite (Zn2AsO4OH) using redistilled water, organic (oxalic and citric) acids and Aspergillus niger strain. Adamit and their (bio)leachates were analyzed for Zn and As by flow-through electrochemi...

The aim of this work was to optimize and validate a simple and rapid method for the direct determination of total platinum in blood serum of chemotherapy patients. The method is based on the quantification of platinum by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ET-AAS) with the Zeeman background correction after appropriate dilution of sample...

This study investigates the relationship between soil water repellency (SWR), soil temperature and some physical and chemical characteristics of soils belonging to five reference soil groups in the area of White Carpathian Mts. and Myjavská pahorkatina Upland. Samples (0-20 cm) were collected from forest soils exhibiting some degree of water repell...

Trace determination of antimony in complex environmental matrices by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ET-AAS) is impossible without a chemical modification. In this work, palladium nitrate and reduced palladium were used as chemical modifiers for the determination of antimony in different environmental matrices. Certified reference ma...

Land pollution by As, Sb and P increases, thus there is an increase in demand for their removal from the environment. Goethite and hematite are the most widespread iron oxides and oxyhydroxides in soils and sediments. They may contribute to the control of the mobility and bioavailability of many elements in the environment via adsorption and desorp...

The stress induced by Cr(III), Cr(VI) and Ni(II) was determined, by using Sinapis alba plant, as root and shoot growth inhibition, dry and fresh mass production, water translocation to upper plant parts, photosynthetic pigments production and metal accumulation and translocation through the plant. For growth inhibition the following ranks orders we...

Selective procedures based on the highly pH-dependent reductive reaction between arsenic species and NaBH(4) to generate arsine, hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry (HG-AAS) systems are commonly used in analytical practice. In this case, for As(V), strongly acidic solutions are required (pH <= 1), while As(III) hydride formation occur...

Nanometer-sized titanium dioxide was used as a solid-phase extractant for the separation and preconcentration of trace amounts of Al(III) prior to its determination by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ET AAS) and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES). The optimal conditions for the proposed solid phase ext...

A possible replacement of previously recommended Spheron-Thiol resin gel for measuring mercury by diffusive gradients in a thin film (DGT) was studied. Duolite GT73 resin and newly prepared 6-mercaptopurine modified Iontosorb AV as binding phases were tested. The preparation procedure of resin-embedded gels was optimized and DGT with new resin gels...

The prediction of soil metal phytoavailability using the chemical extractions is a conventional approach routinely used in soil testing. The adequacy of such soil tests for this purpose is commonly assessed through a comparison of extraction results with metal contents in relevant plants. In this work, the fractions of selected risk metals (Al, As,...

Determination of thallium in polluted environmental samples and their extracts obtained by a modified BCR three-step sequential extraction procedure was used to study thallium distribution and mobility in the monitored polluted area affected by acidification (Šobov, Central Slovakia). The results of fractionation applied to 5 soil certified referen...

In this work, cloud point extraction (CPE) was applied as a separation/preconcentration step for electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometric (ETAAS) determination of ultratrace Sb(III) in natural water samples. After complexation with ammonium pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (APDC) in mildly acidic medium, the analyte was quantitatively extracted to...