Chromium in rivers impacted by tannery wastes determined by high performance liquid chromatography - inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

The total chromium concentrations by ICP-MS and HPLC-ICP-MS and the redox chromium species have been determined in rivers impacted by untreated wastes from tanneries at Fes (Morocco). The results obtained by two ICP-MS analysis methods showed significantly different chromium values at m/z 53. The higher values obtained with external calibration, can be attributed to matrix effects, especially 37 Cl 16 O + at m/z 53. This is confirmed on the chromatograms by the presence of a peak at 100s with the anomalous 52 Cr/ 53 Cr isotopic ratio. The hexavalent chromium was not detected. Two trivalent chromium monomer species, Cr(OH)(H 2 O) 5 2+ and Cr(H 2 O) 6 3+ , were present in low concentrations. We suppose that the major part of chromium occurred as Cr(III) polymeric species which were not retained on the column. These Cr(III) forms are usually complexed with Cl - or/and SO 4 2- , used as tanning agents.