Design of Methodologies for the Determination of Selenium and Mercury in Samples of Environmental Interest by Solid Phase Spectrophotometry

Selenium is a micronutrient with biological, antioxidant, and catalytic properties. Mercury's potential for volatilization and methylation makes its environmental behaviour both interesting and concerning. Because organic compounds can bioaccumulate in the food chain, they are the most toxic. These analytes are extremely rare in nature. It is critical to have an analytical method that combines a species -preserving sample treatment with a system that allows for detection at low concentration levels. There are effective methods and techniques for detecting these species, but they require complex instrumentation and installations, making them impractical for use outside of the lab. Solid phase spectrophotometry is up-front and sensitive method for determining these elements. Overall, the goal of this research was to develop an analytical technique, such as solid phase spectrophotometry, that can measure selenium and mercury in environmental samples in a reliable and safe manner. The technique is to fix a coloured analyte-containing species to a solid support with specific properties. After the coloured complex has been fixed, spectral measurements are taken to quantify the analyte. Organic and inorganic analytes have been measured due to the versatility of these methods. The parameters for determining selenium in foliar samples and mercury in water samples are proposed and standardised using solid phase spectrophotometry. The results of this method are validated to ensure accuracy. The precision, linear range, detection limit, and quantification limit all demonstrate dependability. 1-100 mg/L linear range, the detection limit was 1.92 mg/L, while the quantification limit was 6.41 mg/L. The method's repeatability and reproducibility tests revealed a low degree of dispersion.