Advanced Methods for Chemical Speciation Analysis of Potentially Toxic Elements in Soil

Dear Colleagues,

For a better understanding of the interactions of Potentially Toxic Elements (PTEs) on solid particles in soil solution and soil, spectroscopy methods have advanced, including Fourier Transform Infrared methods (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDX), and X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). In many cases, the determination of PTE speciation in soils requires soil sample preparation and treatment, and, sometimes, a derivatization process is necessary to assess the chemical speciation of PTEs. With or without transformation, a variety of methods has been developed to determine the speciation of PTEs in soil solution or in solution from soil extraction. These methods include spectrophotometry, flame absorption spectrometry (FAAS), hydride vapor generation and cold vapor generation AAS (HVGAAS and CVGAAS, respectively), electrothermal AAS (ETAAS), atomic fluorescence spectrometry (AFS), and atomic emission spectrometry (AES), such as inductively coupled plasma (ICP) and ICP–mass spectrometry (ICP–MS). Moreover, a range of chromatographic systems (liquid and gas chromatography, respectively LC and GC) has been recently used in the speciation of metal ions and organometals with varying detection systems. The triple-hyphenated technics, resulting from the combination of the two chromatography and spectrometry systems with varying detectors (AAS, AFS, HG, MS) provide us with new opportunities in the determination of PTE speciation in soil and soil solution to assess their human and environmental toxicity.

In fine, it is the balance between sample preparation/pretreatment needs and analytical measurements needs that has led to the determination of PTE speciation in only a few contaminated soils. Otherwise, this point raises questions in many studies and remains a challenge to examine.

This Special Issue invites original research papers and reviews focusing on the development and application of analytical methods for the determination of the chemical speciation of PTEs in contaminated soils. Specific attention should be paid to soil sample and soil solution preparation or to improvements in derivatization and/or analytical methods, including approaches that reduce matrix effects or interferences between PTEs or further improve separation conditions.

Dr. Christophe Waterlot
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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• metals
• metalloids
• organometals
• spectrometry
• spectrophotomety
• chromatography
• derivatization
• contaminated soil.