Cr(vi) soil analytical method: A reliable analytical method for extracting and quantifying Cr(vi) in soils

Chromium has been used in the industrialized world in many applications for more than a century. Chromium is a trace metallic element found in the Earth's crust, and when it is found in concentrated ore deposits it is principally as FeCr2O4 (chromite ore). In the environment, chromium is typically found in the trivalent and hexavalent states. These two oxidation states have differing toxicities and mobilities. Hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] is classified as a known human carcinogen (via inhalation) and is rather mobile, whereas trivalent chromium [Cr(III)] is comparatively benign (it is an essential dietary element for humans) and relatively immobile. This significant toxicological and geochemical disparity between the two valence states necessitates that environmental investigators be able to quantitatively distinguish between these two forms in solid environmental media. Several regulatory‐approved analytical techniques exist for the quantitative differentiation between Cr(VI) and Cr(III) in aqueous solut...