Electrochemical screening procedure for arsenic contaminated soils

Voltammetry of immobilized microparticles was used to find arsenic and heavy metals in contaminated soils from areas with long history of industrial development. Traditional sample dissolution and extraction procedures are time consuming and might distort the chemical equilibrium of the sample causing a change in the original physicochemical forms of distribution. A minute amount of sample was physically attached to the carbon paste working electrode surface and an anodic differential pulse voltammogram was obtained without disturbing the original equilibria. The position of the peaks revealed the presence of Pb and Cu and As(V) and As(III) for the most contaminated soils. As(III) was detected when its percentage in soil was more than 0.001% (expressed as As2O3). The limit of detectability was strongly dependent on the presence of iron(III) which increased the signal 10 times.