This paper considers the features of determining the total tin content in waters with different salinity. Direct ICP-spectrometric analysis of sea waters with a salinity of more than 6‱ significantly reduced the analytical signal of tin by 70% (ICP-MS) and 30% (ICP-OES). The matrix effect of macrocomponents was eliminated by generating hydrides using 0.50 M sodium borohydride and 0.10 M hydrochloric acid. The effect of transition metals on the formation of tin hydrides was eliminated by applying L-cysteine at a concentration of 0.75 g/L. The total analyte concentrations, considering the content of organotin compounds, were determined after microwave digestion of sample with oxidizing mixtures based on nitric acid. The generation of hydrides with the ICP-spectrometric determination of tin leveled the influence of the sea water matrix and reduced its detection limit from 0.50 up to 0.05 µg/L for all digestion schemes. The developed analysis scheme made it possible to determine the total content of inorganic and organic forms of tin in sea waters. The total content of tin was determined in the waters of the Azov and Black seas at the levels of 0.17 and 0.24 µg/L, respectively.
Keywords: ICP-MS; ICP-OES; deionized and sea water; hydride generation; microwave digestion; organotin compounds; tin.