Evaluation of Total Mercury in Sediments of the Descoberto River Environmental Protection Area-Brazil.

To evaluate the total mercury accumulation (THg) in the Descoberto river basin environmental protection area (DREPA), nine sediment and water samples were collected from the Descoberto reservoir (lentic environment), and 23 in its tributaries (lotic environment), which are located in a densely urbanized area within the Descoberto river watershed, Brazil. The following physicochemical parameters of water were determined: dissolved oxygen (DO); hydrogen potential (pH); total dissolved solids (TDS); nitrate (NO); chloride (Cl); temperature (T); sulfate (SO), and in sediment, the concentration of total mercury (THg) and volatile material (VM) was determined. THg concentrations in sediments showed a significant difference ( = 0.

Modification of a reaction vessel for the determination of total mercury in hair by cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry.

A classical cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometric (CVAAS) method for the determination of total mercury in blood has been previously adapted for application to samples of human hair. The reaction vessel specified in the original adaptation was, however, large and difficult to use with small hair samples. In the present study, the reaction vessel has been modified and reduced in size and the protocols have been optimized in order to provide an analytical method that is more efficient, less time-consuming, and gives lower blank values than the original adaptation.

Determination of Se(IV) by anodic stripping voltammetry using gold electrodes made from recordable CDs.

This work presents a simple, reproducible and low cost method, employing differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry, for determination of selenium(IV). A gold electrode obtained from recordable compact disks (CD-R) was used to evaluate the voltammetric behavior of the metallic ion in 0.1molL(-1) HClO(4).

The binding of zinc (II) to a double-stranded oligodeoxyribonucleotide. A voltammetric study.

Binding of zinc to a 19 mer double-stranded oligodeoxyribonucleotide was investigated by anodic stripping voltammetry and cyclic voltammetry in order to understand the roles of zinc in DNA cleavage catalyzed by mung bean nuclease. These methods rely on the direct monitoring of zinc oxidation current in the absence and in the presence of the oligo. Zinc titration curves with the ds-oligodeoxyribonucleotide were obtained in concentrations ranging from 3.

Investigations on the binding of mercury ions to albumins employing differential pulse voltammetry.

Binding of mercury to BSA and Ovalbumin was investigated by Differential Pulse Voltammetry. The method relies on the direct monitoring of peak current variation due to mercury oxidation in the presence of these two albumins. Linear calibration graphs were obtained for both BSA and Ovalbumin in concentrations ranging from 2.

The binding of zinc(II) to Mung Bean Nuclease. A voltammetric study.

Binding of zinc to Mung Bean Nuclease was investigated by anodic stripping voltammetry and cyclic voltammetry. These methods rely on the direct monitoring of the oxidation current of zinc in the absence and presence of Mung Bean Nuclease. Titration curves of Zn(2+) with the enzyme were obtained in concentrations ranging from 1.