Russell Vassallo

Analytical Chemistry
4/11/13
Quantification of Arsenic Ions in Boston Drinking Water using Atomic Absorption

Introduction: The purpose of this lab is to measure the amount of metal ions present in samples
of Muddy River water. For this cause Arsenic was being specifically measured. The purpose of
this lab is important because Arsenic is a toxic material that can cause skin irritation, lung cancer
and even death if exposed in high enough concentrations [1]. Therefore, it is important to
measure and monitor the Arsenic levels in the Muddy River to insure there are not unhealthily
levels. For this lab Arsenic was measured specifically in water samples collected from the
Riverway section of the Muddy River across the street from Wheelock College. The samples
were collected on March 27th, 2013; the weather was partly sunny and dry that day. In order to
measure the concentration of Arsenic atomic absorption was used to determine the amount of
Arsenic in samples. Atomic absorption works by heating up sample usually with a flame, the
heat from the flame evaporates the solvent than dissociates chemical bonds, which causes the
release of metal ions that absorb light at a specific wavelength characteristic to the element [2].
In this lab the light source was an Arsenic hollow-cathode lamp. The sample was than heated in
an acetylene-fueled flame that was approximately 2000 K. The sample was than sprayed into the
flame in a fine mist by a nebulizer. The standard solutions of known concentrations are used to
make a calibration curve that can be used to calculate the concentration of Arsenic in the Muddy
River water samples.

Experimental Methods: For this lab we followed the lab handout, Atomic Absorption Analysis
of Boston Water Samples[2]. The concentration of the standard Arsenic solution used for the
standard preparation was 10.0 ppm. The five standards used in the experiment had concentrations
of 10.0 ppb, 100 ppb, 1.00 x 103 ppb, 3.00 x 103 ppb and 5.00 x 103 ppb (see appendix for
calculations). The Muddy River water samples were collected in the Riverway section of the
river across from Wheelock on March 27th, 2013, the weather was partly sunny and dry (see
attached map). The water samples were filtered twice to remove any sludge or particles in the
sample. The light source used for atomic absorption was an Arsenic hollow-cathode lamp and an
acetylene-fueled flame was used. The wavelength being measured was 193.7 nm but the
instrument was set at 194.7 nm because of a 1 nm error in the instrument. The slit width of the
instrument was .7 nm.
Some observations seen during the experiment was that the flame burned brighter when it
was in the DI water or standard samples which was attributed to the sodium in the water.
However, it was observed that the flame burned the brightest when the unknowns were being
tested.
Results: The blank sample for the experiment produced an absorbance of 0, so the absorbance
readings could be taken as is. The absorbance of the standard solutions can be found in table 1.
The absorbances of the unknown Muddy River water samples can be found in table 2.
Concentration (ppb)
10.0
100
1.00 x 103
3.00 x 103
5.00 x 103
Table 1: Absorbance of Standard Solutions

Absorbance
0.001
0
0.001
0.003
0.004

The absorbances of the standard were than plotted to make a calibration curve to be used in the
determination of the concentration of the unknown samples. This calibration curve can be found
in figure 1.

Calibration Curve of Arsenic Standards

0
0
0

f(x) = 0x - 0
R = 0.75

0
0
Absorbance

0
0
0
0
0
0.5

1.5

2.5

3.5

4.5

Concentration (ppb)

Figure 1: Calibration Curve of Arsenic Standards

Sample
Unknown 1

Absorbance
0

5.5

Unknown 2
Unknown 3
Table 2: Absorbance of unknown Muddy River water samples

0
-0.001

Discussion: After atomic absorption of the unknown Muddy River water samples it was
determined that the levels of Arsenic in the Muddy River are undetectable. There maybe a very
small concentration of Arsenic in the Muddy River, but it is so minuscule that it is below the
limit of detection of the atomic absorption instrument used in this experiment. This was
determined because the absorbances of two of the samples were zero and the third was -0.001,
but because there is a drift of about +/- 0.001 in the instrument this reading in inconclusive. Also,
since the flame burned the brightest during the testing of the unknown samples the Muddy River
samples most likely contained a high amount of sodium. However, this would need to be
specifically tested to verify. The standard solutions also gave very low absorbances, therefore if
this experiment was to be repeated in the future the initial concentration of the standard solution
should be increased so that higher absorbance readings can be observed and the calibration curve
would be more accurate because the calibration curve only had an R2 of .75, which insist very
precise. However, the determination that there is no Arsenic or at least extremely small
undetectable concentration of Arsenic in the Muddy River is a good finding. This conclusion
means that there is not a hazardous concentration of Arsenic in the Muddy River. Therefore,
animals and the surrounding environment of the Muddy River do not need to worry about
Arsenic poisoning. These results however are only for a very small portion of the Muddy River
and further sampling of the surrounding area and other parts of the Muddy River should be
completed to ensure there are not high concentrations seen in other parts.

Conclusion: This experiment can be seen as an overall success considering the goal of the
experiment was to determine the concentration of Arsenic in Muddy River water samples.
Although no concentration could de detected in the samples the lab was still a success because it
can be determined from these results that there arent high levels of Arsenic present in the
Riverway portion of the Muddy River. Measuring and monitoring the levels of hazardous
materials in the environment is an important task because high levels of unknown toxins can
have very detrimental affects to humans, animals and the ecosystem.

References:
[1] United States Occupational and Health Administration.
http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/arsenic/index.html#recognition (April 11, 2013)
[2] Gerdon, Aren, Atomic Absorption Analysis of Boston Water Samples, CHEM L2104
Laboratory Handout, Emmanuel College, 2013
Appendix
Standard Preparation Calculations
(10,000 ppb) (x) = (10.0 ppb) (10.0 mL) = 0.01 mL
(10,000 ppb) (x) = (100 ppb) (10.0 mL) = 0.10 mL
(10,000 ppb) (x) = (1.00 x 103 ppb) (10.0 mL) = 1.0 mL
(10,000 ppb) (x) = (3.00 x 103 ppb) (10.0 mL) = 3.0 mL
(10,000 ppb) (x) = (5.00 x 103 ppb) (10.0 mL) = 5.0 mL