Rapid determination of methylmercury in fish tissues

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to develop a rapid and inexpensive method for the determination of methylmercury in fish tissues based on GC/ECD instrumentation. The new method is based on acidic digestion in hydrochloric acid and subsequent extraction with toluene. Methylmercury is determined by the GC/ECD technique using a DB-608 capillary column. The following parameters of the method were established: detection limit 13 μg/kg, limit of quantification 22 μg/kg, linearity 0.2-200 ng/ml, reproducibility 9.4%, and recovery 90%. The method was developed and verified using CRM 464 reference material and was successfully tested in inter-laboratory comparisons IMEP - 20 "Trace elements in tuna fish" organised by the Joint Research Centre - Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements (Belgium), with the success rate of En=0.43.

Keywords

• gas chromatography
• ecd
• capillary column