Electrochemical Evidence of non-Volatile Reduced Sulfur Species in Water-Soluble Fraction of Fine Marine Aerosols

Abstract

The traditional voltammetric method at the mercury electrode, and an acidification step developed for the determination of reduced sulfur species (RSS) in natural waters, was for the first time used for the quantification of RSS in the water-soluble fraction of fine marine aerosols collected at the Middle Adriatic location (Rogoznica Lake). The evidence of two types of non-volatile RSS that have different interaction with the Hg electrode was confirmed: mercapto-type which complexes Hg as RS–Hg and sulfide/S0-like compounds which deposits HgS. The analytical protocol that was used for RSS determination in aerosol samples is based on separate voltammetric studies of a methyl 3-mercaptopropionate (3-MPA) as a representative of mercapto-type compounds and sulfide as a representative of inorganic RSS. Our preliminary study indicates the presence of mainly RS–Hg compounds in spring samples, ranging from 2.60–15.40 ng m−3, while both, the mercapto-type (0.48–2.23 ng m−3) and sulfide and/or S0-like compounds (0.02–0.26 ng m−3) were detected in early autumn samples. More expressed and defined RS–Hg peaks recorded in the spring potentially indicate their association with biological activity in the area. Those samples were also characterized by a higher water-soluble organic carbon content and a more abundant surface-active fraction, pointing to enhanced solubility and stabilization of RSS in the aqueous atmospheric phase.