Quantitative detection of aqueous arsenic and other oxoanions using attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopy utilizing iron oxide coated internal reflection elements to enhance the limits of detection.

An attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy technique has been developed utilizing an oxide coated internal reflection element to quantitatively evaluate the concentrations of three inorganic oxoanions, arsenate, sulfate, and selenate, at environmentally significant levels. Two iron oxide coatings, goethite and an iron sol-gel, were used and compared to an uncoated internal reflection element which typically has a limit of detection around 1.0 mM. The goethite coating improved the limits of detection by factors of 45.6 and 137.0 for arsenate and sulfate as compared to an uncoated cell. The iron sol coating improved the limits of detection by factors of 481.2, 156.2, and 114.0 for arsenate, sulfate, and selenate, respectively.