Determination of Total Mercury Levels in Natural Waters

A rapid and simple preconcentration technique for the determination of trace amounts of mercury in natural waters has been studied. A 1-liter water sample is pretreated by conventional methods using permanganate and sulfuric acid. Mercury(II) ion formed is reduced to elemental mercury which is aerated and caught in a gold trap. The trapped mercury is released by heating the gold trap and driven into a photometer. A 0.01 ppb level of mercury in natural water is determined successfully.