A thermo extraction-UV/Vis spectrophotometric method for total iodine quantification in soils and sediments

Iodine in soils and sediments is a difficult element to analyze due to its volatility in acidic conditions. Traditionally it has been quantified using neutron activation analysis techniques, which, unfortunately, requires access to a nuclear reactor. We present here a simple method for solid-phase iodine analysis by thermo extraction at 1000°C and quantification by UV/Vis photometry. Samples are combusted in an oxygen stream and trapped in Milli-Q water. The extracts are then quantified by an As3+–Ce4+ spectrometric method whereby iodide catalyzes the oxidation of As3+ to As5+ and reduction of Ce4+ to Ce3+. Three standard reference materials were analyzed with excellent recoveries (97–113%) and RSDs (<5%). Moreover, the detection limit was less than 50 ng absolute iodine with a confidence limit of 95%. When applied to carbonate-rich samples from sediment traps deployed in Lake Constance we found very low iodine levels (0.8–2 mg kg−1). Despite the low concentrations, the precision of the method was consistently better than 5% RSD. However, the method needed to be slightly modified for organic and iodine-rich sediments (20–30% organic carbon) from a lake in the Black Forest by increasing the oxygen flow rate and decreasing the combustion time. Using the modified method we were able to achieve RSDs lower than 5%.