Determination of iodine and bromine compounds by ion chromatography/dynamic reaction cell inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.

An inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS) was used as an ion chromatographic detector for the speciation of iodine and bromine. Gradient elution using NH4NO3 at pH 10 allowed the chromatographic separation of ionic iodine (I- and IO3-) and bromine (Br- and BrO3-) species in less than 8 min. Effluents from the ion-exchange column were delivered to the nebulization system of ICP-MS for the determination of I and Br. The potentially interfering 38Ar40ArH+ and 40Ar40ArH+ at the bromine masses m/z 79 and 81 were significantly reduced in intensity (by approximately two orders of magnitude) by using 0.6 mL min(-1) O2 as a reactive cell gas in the dynamic reaction cell (DRC). Moreover, the signal-to-background ratio at iodine mass m/z 127 increased significantly when O2 was used as the reaction gas. The detection limits were in the range of 0.001-0.002 and 0.03-0.04 ng mL(-1) for various I and Br compounds, respectively, based on the peak height. The relative standard deviation of the peak areas for five injections of a 2 ng mL(-1) I-, IO3- and 20 ng mL(-1) Br-, BrO3- mixture was in the range of 3-4%. The concentrations of I and Br compounds have been determined in selected water and urine samples. The spike recoveries were in the range of 94-102% for all of the determinations. This method has also been applied to determine various I and Br compounds in an NIST RM 8435 whole-milk powder reference material and a seaweed sample obtained locally. A microwave-assisted extraction method was used to extract these compounds, which were quantitatively leached with a 10% mass/volume (m/v) tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) solution in a focused microwave field within a period of 6 min. The major components of I and Br in milk powder and seaweed were I- and Br-.