Abstract
Positive and negative ion mass spectra of arsenic trioxide (As2O3) and arsenic pentaoxide (As2O5) have been obtained by single-step laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Pulsed UV radiation at 266 nm was used for the simultaneous desorption and ionization of the solid sample. High-mass cluster ions that are unique to the oxidation state of each oxide sample appear in the negative ion mass spectra. The As2O3 produces As3O5 -, while the As2O5 yields As3O8 -. The formation of unique negative cluster ions presents the capability for arsenic oxidation state speciation by laser desorption/ ionization mass spectrometry. The ability of time-of-flight mass spectrometry to examine the relative amounts of each arsenic oxide present in a series of mixtures is discussed. Application of our speciation technique to a model incinerator sample is demonstrated.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 4052-4059 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Analytical Chemistry |
Volume | 68 |
Issue number | 22 |
State | Published - Nov 15 1996 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Analytical Chemistry