The abandoned industrial site at the Sepetiba Bay (SE-Brazil) is one of the most heavily contaminated sites on the earth's surface concerned to Zn, but also presents As in alarming concentrations. Vegetation on this site is scarce and under the surviving species Pityrogramma calomelanos and Nephrolepis biserrata are the most abundant ones. Total As concentrations up to 2271 mg kg-1 in P. calomelanos were determined, being this specie more efficient in arsenic accumulation than N. bisserata. The size exclusion chromatography (SEC) with UV-Vis detector coupled to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was used to screen the distribution of As between different molar mass fractions. Highest concentration of As was found after extraction with TRIS-HCl, pH 7.4 (about 60-100% of total As) characterizing an association of this element with bioligands including phytochelatins and glutathione.
terrestrial plants; phytochelatins; arsenic; speciation; SEC-UV-Vis-ICP-MS
