Investigation of hydride generation from arsenosugars - Is it feasible for speciation analysis?

Abstract Hydride generation (HG) from arsenosugars (dimethylarsinoylribosides) in batch and flow injection modes was studied. Its efficiency was found higher in H 2 SO 4 medium than in HCl and higher in the batch mode than in the flow injection mode. To increase the efficiency in the flow injection mode a new generator with two inlets of NaBH 4 solution was designed. This modified generator was interfaced between a HPLC column and an atomic fluorescence detector. The arsenosugars studied yielded HG efficiencies in the range 13–30% most probably due to a complicated mechanism of HG. While the mechanism included a formation of two structures of the analyte-borane-complexes, only one of them can lead to a formation of volatile arsanes (dimethylarsane, methylarsane, and arsane were identified).